BLACK  BEAJ®E 
BAVARIAN 


MAIUAJ^  KEITH 


GIFT  OF 
HORACE  W.  CARFENTIER 


PILGRIM  Congregational  CH0IK3H. 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2008  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/blackbeardedbarbOOmaririch 


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George  L.  Mackay 


THE  BUSIEST   MAN    IN    ALL  CHINA 


[See  page  208] 


THE  BLACK  BEARDED 
BARBARIAN 


THE  LIFE  OF 

GEORGE  LESLIE  MACKAY 

OF  FORMOSA 


BY 

MARIAN  KEITH     ^v='-^<^-c/j 


J.  yf^c^^^^^^^ ,  yyr^ '  yv^j-/ 


NEW  YORK 

MISSIONARY  EDUCATION  MOVEMENT 

OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 

1912 


Copyright,  1912,  by 

MISSIONARY  EDUCATION  MOVEMENT  OF  THE 

UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 


(^m>Mmmn: :  -: 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PA.GE 

Foreword ix 

I     Splitting  Eocks ,  1 

II    A  Voyage  of  Discovery 13 

HI    Reconnoitering  the  Territory 35 

IV    Beginning  the  Siege 57 

V     Soldiers  Two 81 

VI     The  Great  Kai  Bok-su 101 

VII     Besieging   Head-hunters 121 

VIII     Cities  Captured  and  Forts  Built 147 

IX     Other  Conquests 175 

X     Reenforcements          201 

XI     Unexpected  Bombardment 225 

XII     Triumphal   March      . 255 

XIII    The  Land  Occupied 283 

Index 301 


mimmti7 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

George  L.  Mackay — '  *  The  Busiest  Man  in  all  China ' ' 

Frontispiece 

Tamsui — '^This  Is  Your  Parish,  Mackay '' 29 

**You'll  Be  Calling  This  the  Queen ^s  Hotel  Before  You've 

Been  Here  Long'' 47 

A  Hoa—*' This  Was  His  Man!" 75 

'*We  Shall  Go  to  Kelung  First" 89 

**Next,  Any  One  Who  Wanted  a  Tooth  Pulled  Was  Invited 

to  Come  Forward" 113 

*'The  Head-hunters  Were  Armed  to  the  Teeth"     .     .      .131 

'* Barbarians  of  the  Plain" 179 

Mackay  and  His  Students  on  a  Tour 205 

The  Rev.  J.  B,  Fraser,  M.  D. — *  *  Besides  Being  an  Ordained 

Minister,  He  Was  a  Physician  as  Well " 213 

Mrs.    George    L.    Mackay — '*But    as    Mrs.    Mackay    She 

Proved  of  Marvelous  Assistance  to  Her  Husband"    .  217 
"Oxford    College    Stood    Just    Overlooking    the    Tamsui 

Eiver" 221 

"In  the  Town  of  Tao-liong-pong  Was  the  Home  of  Koa 

Kau" 233 

Bang-kah  Chapel — "Look  Now,  the  Chapel  Towers  Above 

Our  Temple" 251 

Dr.  G.  L.  Mackay,  Wife,  and  Three  Children     .      .      .      .287 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Mackay — **With  His  Canadian  Wife, 

Has  Gone  Back  to  His  Native  Land" 299 

Colored  Map  of  Formosa End 

^      vu 


FOREWORD 

This  is  a  very  little  story  of  a  very  great 
man.  It  contains  only  a  few  of  the  wonder- 
ful adventures  he  met,  and  the  splendid 
deeds  he  did.  Most  of  them  may  never  be 
written.  Perhaps  they  may  be  lived  again 
in  the  lives  of  some  of  the  readers.  Who 
knows  ? 

Even  this  brief  account  of  Dr.  Mackay's 
life  could  not  have  been  written  had  it  not 
been  for  the  help  of  many  kind  friends.  The 
Rev.  R.  P.  Mackay,  D.  D.,  of  Toronto,  Can- 
ada, who  visited  Formosa,  and  met  many  of 
the  people  mentioned  in  this  story,  gave  me 
great  assistance.  Mr.  Alexander  Mackay, 
brother  of  the  hero  of  this  book,  was  very 
kind  in  telling  many  interesting  tales  of  boy- 
hood days  in  Zorra.  My  most  untiring  and 
painstaking  assistant  has  been  the  Rev.  J.  B. 
Eraser,  M.  D.,  of  Annan,  Ontario,  formerly 


FOREWORD 


of  Formosa.  You  will  find  him  among  the 
many  heroes  of  this  story.  To  his  kind  and 
careful  oversight  is  due  much  that  gives  this 
little  book  any  value  as  a  history.  The  life 
of  Dr.  Mackay  in  From  Far  Formosa,  com- 
piled by  Dr.  J.  A.  MacDonald,  editor  of  the 
Toronto  Glohe,  has  been  my  chief  source  of 
information.  Indeed  this  story  has  been 
taken  almost  entirely  from  its  pages,  and 
owes  Dr.  MacDonald  much  thanks. 

And  now  there  is  just  one  more  favor  it 
asks,  that  you  who  read  it  may  in  some 
measure  strive  to  catch  the  great  spirit  of 
its  hero. 

Marian  Keith. 

Toronto,  Canada,  April  24, 1912. 


SPLITTING  ROCKS 


THE  BLACK  BEARDED 
BARBARIAN^ 


CHAPTER  I 

SPLITTING     ROCXS 

UP  in  the  stony  pasture-field  behind  the 
barn  the  boys  had  been  working  all 
the  long  afternoon.  Nearly  all,  that  is,  for, 
being  boys,  they  had  managed  to  mix  a  good 
deal  of  fun  with  their  labor.  But  now  they 
were  tired  of  both  work  and  play,  and  won- 
dered audibly,  many  times  over,  why  they 
were  not  yet  called  home  to  supper. 

The  work  really  belonged  to  the  Mackay 
boys,  but,  like  Tom  Sawyer,  they  had  made 
it  so  attractive  that  several  volunteers  had 
come  to  their  aid.  Their  father  was  putting 
up  a  new  stone  house,  near  the  old  one  down 

^  The  name  by  which  George  Leslie  Mackay  was 
known  among  the  Chinese  of  north  Formosa. 

S 


4    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

there  behind  the  orchard,  and  the  two 
youngest  of  the  family  had  been  put  at  the 
task  of  breaking  the  largest  stones  in  the 
fieldu 

It  meant  only  to  drag  some  underbrush 
and  wood  from  the  forest  skirting  the  farm, 
pile  them  on  the  stones,  set  fire  to  them, 
and  let  the  heat  do  the  rest.  It  had 
been  grand  sport  at  first,  they  all  voted, 
better  than  playing  shinny,  and  almost  as 
good  as  going  fishing.  In  fact  it  was  a  kind 
of  free  picnic,  where  one  could  play  at 
Indians  all  day  long.  But  as  the  day  wore 
on,  the  picnic  idea  had  languished,  and  the 
stone-breaking  grew  more  and  more  to  re- 
semble hard  work. 

The  warm  spring  sunset  had  begun  to 
color  the  western  sky;  the  meadow-larks 
had  gone  to  bed,  and  the  stone-breakers 
were  tired  and  ravenously  hungry — as  hun- 
gry as  only  wolves  or  country  boys  can  be. 
The  visitors  suggested  that  they  ought  to  be 
going  home.  **Hold  on,  Danny,  just  till  this 
one  breaks,"  said  the  older  Mackay  boy,  as 
he  set  a  burning  stick  to  a  new  pile  of  brush. 


SPLITTING    ROCKS 


*^ This '11  be  a  dandy,  and  it's  the  last,  too. 
They're  sure  to  call  us  to  supper  before 
we've  time  to  do  another." 

The  new  fire,  roaring  and  snapping,  send- 
ing up  showers  of  sparks  and  filling  the  air 
with  the  sweet  odor  of  burning  cedar, 
proved  too  alluring  to  be  left.  The  company 
squatted  on  the  ground  before  it,  hugging 
their  knees  and  watching  the  blue  colmnn  of 
smoke  go  straight  up  into  the  colored  sky. 
It  suggested  a  camp-fire  in  war  times,  and 
each  boy  began  to  tell  what  great  and  daring 
deeds  he  intended  to  perform  when  he  be- 
came a  man. 

Jimmy,  one  of  the  visitors,  who  had  been 
most  enthusiastic  over  the  picnic  side  of  the 
day's  work,  announced  that  he  was  going 
to  be  a  sailor.  He  would  command  a  fleet 
on  the  high  seas,  so  he  would,  and  capture 
pirates,  and  grow  fabulously  wealthy  on 
prize-money.  Danny,  who  was  also  a  guest, 
declared  his  purpose  one  day  to  lead  a  band 
of  rough  riders  to  the  Western  plains, 
where  he  would  kill  Indians,  and  escape 
fearful  deaths  by  the  narrowest  hairbreadth. 


6    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

^^Mebbe  I'm  goin'  to  be  Premier  of  Can- 
ada, some  day,"  said  one  youngster,  poking 
his  bare  toes  as  near  as  he  dared  to  the 
flames. 

There  were  hoots  of  derision.  This  was 
entirely  too  tame  to  be  even  considered  as  a 
career. 

**And  what  are  you  going  to  be,  G.  L.?" 
inquired  the  biggest  boy  of  the  smallest. 

The  others  looked  at  the  little  fellow  and 
laughed.  George  Mackay  was  the  youngest 
of  the  group,  and  was  a  small  wiry  young- 
ster with  a  pair  of  flashing  eyes  lighting  up 
his  thin  little  face.  He  seemed  far  too  small 
and  insignificant  to  even  think  about  a 
career.  But  for  all  the  difference  in  their 
size  and  age  the  bigger  boys  treated  little 
George  with  a  good  deal  of  respect.  For, 
somehow,  he  never  failed  to  do  what  he  set 
out  to  do.  He  always  won  at  races,  he  was 
never  anywhere  but  at  the  head  of  his  class, 
he  was  never  known  to  be  afraid  of  anything 
in  field  or  forest  or  school  ground,  he  was 
the  hardest  worker  at  home  or  at  school,  and 
by  sheer  pluck  he  managed  to  do  everything 


SPLITTING    ROCKS 


that  boys  bigger  and  older  and  stronger 
could  do. 

So  when  Danny  asked,  ^^And  what  are 
you  going  to  be,  G.  L.?"  though  the  boys 
laughed  at  the  small  thin  little  body,  they 
respected  the  daring  spirit  it  held,  and  lis- 
tened for  his  answer. 

**He's  goin'  to  be  a  giant,  and  go  off  with 
a  show,"  cried  one,  and  they  all  laughed 
again. 

Little  G.  L.  laughed  too,  but  he  did  not 
say  what  he  intended  to  do  when  he  grew  big. 
Down  in  his  heart  he  held  a  far  greater  am- 
bition than  the  others  dreamed  of.  It  was 
too  great  to  be  told — so  great  he  scarcely 
knew  what  it  was  himself.  So  he  only  shook 
his  small  head  and  closed  his  lips  tightly, 
and  the  rest  forgot  him  and  chattered  on. 

Away  beyond  the  dark  woods,  the  sunset 
shone  red  and  gold  between  the  black  tree 
trunks.  The  little  boy  gazed  at  it  wonder- 
ingly.  The  sight  of  those  morning  and  eve- 
ning glories  always  stirred  his  child's  soul, 
and  made  him  long  to  go  away — away,  he 
knew  not  where — ^to  do  great  and  glorious 


■6  BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

deeds.  The  Mackay  boys'  grandfather  had 
fought  at  Waterloo,  and  little  George  Leslie, 
the  youngest  of  six,  had  heard  many,  many 
tales  of  that  gallant  struggle,  and  every  time 
they  had  been  told  him  he  had  silently  re- 
solved that,  some  day,  he  too  would  do  just 
such  brave  deeds  as  his  grandfather  had 
done. 

As  the  boys  talked  on,  and  the  little  fellow 
gazed  at  the  sunset  and  dreamed,  the  big 
stone  cracked  in  two,  the  fire  died  down,  and 
still  there  came  no  welcome  call  to  supper 
from  any  of  the  farmhouses  in  sight.  The 
Mackay  boys  had  been  trained  in  a  fine  old- 
fashioned  Canadian  home,  and  did  not 
dream  of  quitting  work  until  they  were  sum- 
moned. But  the  visitors  were  merely  vis- 
itors, and  could  go  home  when  they  liked. 
The  future  admiral  of  the  pirate-killing 
fleet  declared  he  must  go  and  get  supper,  or 
he'd  eat  the  grass,  he  was  so  hungry.  The 
coming  Premier  of  Canada  and  the  Indian- 
slayer  agreed  with  him,  and  they  all  jumped 
the  fence,  and  went  whooping  away  over  the 
.soft  brown  fields  toward  home. 


SPLITTING    ROCKS 9 

There  was  just  one  big  stone  left.  It  was 
a  huge  boulder,  four  feet  across. 

''We'll  never  get  enough  wood  to  crack 
that,  G.  L.,"  declared  his  brother.  ''It  just 
can't  be  done." 

But  little  George  answered  just  as  any  one 
who  knew  his  determination  would  have  ex- 
pected. In  school  he  astonished  his  teacher 
by  learning  everything  at  a  tremendous  rate, 
but  there  was  one  small  word  he  refused  to 
learn — the  little  word  "can't."  His  bright 
eyes  flashed  now,  at  the  sound  of  it.  He 
jumped  upon  the  big  stone,  and  clenched  his 
fist. 

"It's  got  to  be  broken!"  he  cried.  "I 
won't  let  it  beat  me."  He  leaped  down,  and 
away  he  ran  toward  the  woods.  His  brother 
caught  his  spirit,  and  ran  too.  They  forgot 
they  were  both  tired  and  hungry.  They 
seized  a  big  limb  of  a  fallen  tree  and  dragged 
it  across  the  field.  They  chopped  it  into 
pieces,  and  piled  it  high  with  plenty  of 
brush,  upon  the  big  stone.  In  a  few  minutes 
it  was  all  in  a  splendid  blaze,  leaping  and 
crackling,  and  sending  the  boys'  long  shad- 
ows far  across  the  field. 


10        BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

The  fire  grew  fiercer  and  hotter,  and  sud- 
denly the  big  boulder  cracked  in  four  pieces, 
as  neatly  as  though  it  had  been  slashed  by  a 
giant's  sword.  Little  G.  L.  danced  around 
it,  and  laughed  triumphantly.  The  next  mo- 
ment, there  came  the  welcome  '^hoo-hoo'^ 
from  the  house  behind  the  orchard,  and 
away  the  two  scampered  down  the  hill  to- 
ward home  and  supper. 

When  the  day's  work  of  the  farmhouse 
had  been  finished,  the  Mackay  family  gath- 
ered about  the  fire,  for  the  spring  evening 
was  chilly.  George  Leslie  sat  near  his 
mother,  his  face  full  of  deep  thought.  It 
was  the  hour  for  family  worship,  and  always 
at  this  time  he  felt  most  keenly  that  longing 
to  do  something  great  and  glorious.  To- 
night his  father  read  of  a  Man  who  was 
sending  out  his  army  to  conquer  the  world. 
It  was  only  a  little  army,  just  twelve  men, 
but  they  knew  their  Leader  had  more  power 
than  all  the  soldiers  of  the  world.  And  they 
were  not  afraid,  though  he  said,  *^  Behold,  I 
send  you  forth  as  sheep  in  the  midst  of 
wolves. ' '    For  he  added, ' '  Pear  ye  not, ' '  for 


SPLITTING    ROCKS  11 

he  would  march  before  them,  and  they  would 
be  sure  of  victory. 

The  little  boy  listened  with  all  his  might. 
He  did  everj^hing  that  way.  Surely  this 
was  a  story  of  great  and  glorious  deeds,  even 
better  than  Waterloo,  he  felt.  And  there 
came  to  his  heart  a  great  longing  to  go  out 
and  fight  wrong  and  put  down  evil  as  these 
men  had  done.  He  did  not  know  that  the 
longing  was  the  voice  of  the  great  King  call- 
ing his  yoimg  knight  to  go  out  and  ^^Live 
pure,  speak  true,  right  wrong,  follow  the 
King." 

But  there  came  a  day  when  he  did  under- 
stand, and  on  that  day  he  was  ready  to  obey. 

When  bedtime  came  the  boys  were  ask^ed 
if  they  had  finished  their  work,  and  the  story 
of  the  last  big  stone  was  told.  **G.  L.  would 
not  leave  it,"  the  brother  explained.  The 
father  looked  smilingly  at  little  G.  L.  who 
still  sat,  dangling  his  short  legs  from  his 
chair,  and  studying  the  fire. 

He  spoke  to  his  wife  in  Gaelic.  *^  Perhaps 
the  lad  will  be  called  to  break  a  great  rock 
some  day.    The  Lord  grant  he  may  do  it." 


Ig        BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

The  boy  looked  up  wonderingly.  He  un- 
derstood Gaelic  as  well  as  English,  but  he 
did  not  comprehend  his  father's  words.  He 
had  no  idea  they  were  prophetic,  and  that 
away  on  the  other  side  of  the  world,  in  a 
land  his  geography  lessons  had  not  yet 
touched,  there  stood  a  great  rock,  ugly  and 
hai'd  and  grim,  which  he  was  one  day  to  be 
called  upon  to  break. 


A  VOYAGE  OF  DISCOVERY 


CHAPTER   II 

A  VOYAGE  OF  DISCOVERY 

THE  steamship  America,  bound  for  Hong- 
kong, was  leaving  the  dock  at  San  Fran- 
cisco. All  was  bustle  and  noise  and  stir. 
Friends  called  a  last  farewell  from  the  deck, 
handkerchiefs  waved,  many  of  them  wet  with 
tears.  The  long  boom  of  a  gun  roared  out 
over  the  harbor,  a  bell  rang,  and  the  signal 
was  given.  Up  came  the  anchor,  and  slowly 
and  with  dignity  the  great  vessel  moved  out 
through  the  Golden  Gate  into  the  wide  Pa- 
cific. 

Crowds  stood  on  the  deck  to  get  a  last 
glimpse  of  home  and  loved  ones,  and  to  wave 
to  friends  as  long  as  they  could  be  distin- 
guished. There  was  one  young  man  who 
stood  apart  from  the  crowd,  and  who  did  not 
wave  farewell  to  any  one.  He  had  come  on 
board  with  a  couple  of  men,  but  they  had 
gone  back  to  the  dock,  and  were  lost  in  the 

15 


16   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

crowd.  He  seemed  entirely  alone.  He 
leaned  against  the  deck-railing  and  gazed  in- 
tently over  the  widening  strip  of  tumbling 
waters  to  the  city  on  the  shore.  But  he  did 
not  see  it.  Instead,  he  saw  a  Canadian  farm- 
house, a  garden  and  orchard,  and  gently 
sloping  meadows  hedged  in  by  forest.  And 
up  behind  the  barn  he  saw  a  stony  field, 
where  long  ago  he  and  his  brother  and  the 
neighbor  boys  had  broken  the  stones  for  the 
new  house. 

His  quick  movements,  his  slim,  straight 
figure,  and  his  bright,  piercing  eyes  showed 
he  was  the  same  boy  who  had  broken  the  big 
rock  in  the  pasture-field  long  before.  Just 
the  same  boy,  only  bigger,  and  more  man 
than  boy  now,  for  he  wore  an  air  of  com- 
mand and  his  thin  keen  face  bore  a  beard,  a 
deep  black,  like  his  hair.  And  now  he  was 
going  away,  as  he  had  longed  to  go,  when 
he  was  a  boy,  and  ahead  of  him  lay  the  big 
frowning  rock,  which  he  must  either  break 
or  be  broken  upon. 

He  had  learned  many  things  since  those 
days  when  he  had  scampered  barefoot  over 


A  VOYAGE   OF   DISCOVERY  IT 

the  fields,  or  down  the  road  to  school.  He 
had  been  to  college  in  Toronto,  in  Princeton, 
and  away  over  in  Edinburgh,  in  the  old 
homeland  where  his  father  and  mother  were 
born.  And  all  through  his  life  that  call  to 
go  and  do  great  deeds  for  the  King  had 
come  again  and  again.  He  had  determined 
to  obey  it  when  he  was  but  a  little  lad  at 
school.  He  had  encountered  many  big  stones 
in  his  way,  which  he  had  to  break,  before  he 
could  go  on.  But  the  biggest  stone  of  all 
lay  across  his  path  when  college  was  over, 
and  he  was  ready  and  anxious  to  go  away  as 
a  missionary.  The  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Canada  had  never  yet  sent  out  a  missionary 
to  a  foreign  land,  and  some  of  the  good  old 
men  bade  George  Mackay  stay  at  home  and 
preach  the  gospel  there.  But  as  usual  he 
conquered.  Every  one  saw  he  would  be  a 
great  missionary  if  he  were  only  given  a 
chance.  At  last  the  General  Assembly  gave 
its  consent,  and  now,  in  spite  of  all  stones 
in  the  way,  here  he  was,  bound  for  China, 
and  ready  to  do  anything  the  King  com- 
manded. 


18        BLACK   BEARDED    BARBARIAN 

Land  was  beginning  to  fade  away  into  a 
gray  mist,  the  November  wind  was  damp  and 
eMU,  he  turned  and  went  down  to  his  state- 
room. He  sat  down  on  his  little  steamer 
trunk,  and  for  the  first  time  the  utter  lone- 
liness and  the  uncertainty  of  this  voyage 
came  over  him.  He  took  up  his  Bible  and 
turned  to  the  fly-leaf.  There  he  read  the 
inscription : 

Presented  to 

Eev.  G.  L.  Mackay 

First  missionary  of  the  Canadian  Pres- 
byterian Church  to  China,  by  the  For- 
eign Mission  Committee,  as  a  parting 
token  of  their  esteem,  when  about  to 
leave  his  native  land  for  the  sphere  of 
his  future  labors  among  the  heathen. 

William  MacLaken^  Convener. 

Ottawa,  9th  October,  1871. 

Matthew  xxviii :  18-20,        Psalm  cxxi. 

It  was  a  moment  of  severe  trial  to  the 
young  soldier.    But  he  turned  to  the  Psalm 


A   VOYAGE   OF   DISCOVERY  19 

marked  on  the  fly-leaf  of  his  Bible,  and  he 
read  it  again  and  again. 

^*My  help  cometh  from  the  Lord  which 
made  heaven  and  earth."     .     .     . 

^^The  Lord  is  thy  keeper:  the  Lord  is  thy 
shade  upon  thy  right  hand." 

'^The  sun  shall  not  smite  thee  by  day,  nor 
the  moon  by  night." 

The  beautiful  words  gave  him  comfort. 
Homesickness,  loneliness,  and  fears  for  the 
future  all  vanished.  He  was  going  out  to  an 
unknown  land  where  dangers  and  perhaps 
death  awaited  him,  but  the  Lord  would  be 
his  keeper  and  nothing  could  harm  him. 

Twenty-six  days  on  the  Pacific!  And  a 
stormy  voyage  it  was,  for  the  Pacific  does 
not  always  live  up  to  her  beautiful  name, 
and  she  tossed  the  America  about  in  a  shock- 
ing manner.  But  the  voyage  did  not  seem 
long  to  George  Mackay.  There  were  other 
missionaries  on  board  with  whom  he  had 
become  acquainted,  and  he  had  long  delight- 
ful talks  with  them  and  they  taught  him 
many  things  about  his  new  work.  He  was 
the  same  busy  G.  L.  he  had  been  when  a  boy; 


go   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

always  working,  working,  and  lie  did  not 
waste  a  moment  on  the  voyage.  There  was 
a  fine  library  on  the  ship  and  he  studied  the 
books  on  China  until  he  knew  more  about 
the  religion  of  that  country  than  did  many 
of  the  Chinese  themselves. 

One  day,  as  he  was  poring  over  a  Chinese 
history,  some  one  called  him  hastily  to  come 
on  deck.  He  threw  down  his  book  and  ran 
up-stairs.  The  whole  ship  was  in  a  joyous 
commotion.  His  friend  pointed  toward  the 
horizon,  and  away  off  there  against  the  sky 
stood  the  top  of  a  snow-capped  peak — Fuji- 
yama— the  majestic,  sacred  mountain  of 
Japan! 

It  was  a  welcome  sight,  after  the  long 
ocean  voyage,  and  the  hours  they  lay  in  Yo- 
kahama  harbor  were  full  of  enjoyment. 
Every  sight  was  thrilling  and  strange  to 
yoimg  Mackay's  Western  eyes.  The  harbor 
fairly  swarmed  with  noisy,  shouting,  chat- 
tering Japanese  boatmen.  He  wondered 
why  they  seemed  so  familiar,  until  it  sud- 
denly dawned  on  him  that  their  queer  rice- 
straw  coats  made  them  look  like  a  swarm  of 


A  VOYAGE   OF   DISCOVERY  81' 

Eobinson  Crusoes  who  had  just  been  res- 
cued from  their  islands. 

When  he  landed  he  found  things  still  fun- 
nier. The  streets  were  noisier  than  the  har- 
bor. Through  them  rolled  large  heavy; 
wooden  carts,  pulled  and  pushed  by  men, 
with  much  grunting  and  groaning.  Past 
him  whirled  what  looked  like  overgrown 
baby  carriages,  also  pulled  by  men,  and  each 
containing  a  big  grown-up  human  baby.  It 
was  all  so  pretty  too,  and  so  enchanting  that 
the  young  missionary  would  fain  have  re- 
mained there.  But  China  was  still  farther 
on,  so  when  the  America  again  set  sail,  he 
was  on  board. 

Away  they  sailed  farther  and  farther  east, 
or  was  it  west  ?  He  often  asked  himself  that 
question  in  some  amusement  as  they  ap- 
proached the  coast  of  China.  They  entered 
a  long  winding  channel  and  steamed  this 
way  and  that  until  one  day  they  sailed  into 
a  fine  broad  harbor  with  a  magnificent  city 
rising  far  up  the  steep  sides  of  a  hill.  It  was 
an  Oriental  city,  and  therefore  strange  to 
the  young  traveler.    But  for  all  that  there 


£2        BLACK  BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

seemed  something  familiar  in  the  fine  Euro- 
pean buildings  that  lined  the  streets,  and 
something  still  more  homelike  in  that  which 
floated  high  above  them — something  that 
brought  a  thrill  to  the  heart  of  the  young 
Canadian — ^the  red-crossed  banner  of  Brit- 
ain! 

It  was  Hongkong,  the  great  British  port 
of  the  East,  and  here  he  decided  to  land.  No 
sooner  had  the  travelers  touched  the  dock, 
than  they  were  surrounded  by  a  yelling,  jos- 
tling crowd  of  Chinese  coolies,  all  shouting 
in  an  outlandish  gibberish  for  the  privilege 
of  carrying  the  Barbarians'  baggage.  A 
group  gathered  round  Mackay,  and  in  their 
eagerness  began  hammering  each  other  with 
bamboo  poles.  He  was  well-nigh  bewildered, 
when  above  the  din  sounded  the  welcome 
music  of  an  English  voice. 

**Are  you  Mackay  from  Canada?'' 
He  whirled  round  joyfully.  It  was  Dr. 
E.  J.  Eitel,  a  missionary  from  England.  He 
had  been  told  that  the  young  Canadian 
would  arrive  on  the  America  and  was  there 
to  welcome  him. 


A  VOYAGE   OF   DISCOVERY  2S 

Although  the  Canadian  Presbyterian 
Church  had  as  yet  sent  out  no  missionaries 
to  a  foreign  land,  the  Presbyterian  Church 
of  England  had  many  scattered  over  China. 
They  were  all  hoping  that  the  new  recruit 
would  join  them,  and  invited  him  to  visit 
different  mission  stations,  and  see  where  he 
would  like  to  settle.  * 

So  he  remained  that  night  in  Hongkong, 
as  Dr.  Eitel's  guest,  and  the  next  morning 
he  took  a  steamer  for  Canton.  Here  he  was 
met  on  the  pier  by  an  old  fellow  student  of 
Princeton  University,  and  the  two  old  col- 
lege friends  had  a  grand  reunion.  He  re- 
turned to  Hongkong  shortly,  and  next  vis- 
ited Swatow.  As  they  sailed  into  the  harbor, 
he  noticed  two  Englishmen  rowing  out  to- 
ward them  in  a  sampan.^  No  sooner  had  the 
ship's  ladder  been  lowered,  than  the  two 
sprang  out  of  their  boat  and  clambered 
quickly  on  deck. 

To  Mackay's  amazement,  one  of  them 

^A  Chinese  boat  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  long, 
covered  with  a  house. 


^4    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

called  out,  ^^Is  Mackay;  of  Canada  on 
board r' 

^* Mackay  of  Canada,"  sprang  forward  de- 
lighted, and  found  his  two  new  friends  to  be 
Mr.  Hobson  of  the  Chinese  imperial  cus- 
toms, and  Dr.  Thompson  of  the  English 
Presbyterian  mission  in  Swatow. 

The  missionaries  here  gave  the  stranger 
a  warm  welcome.  At  every  place  he  had 
visited  there  had  awaited  him  a  cordial  invi- 
tation to  stay  and  work.  And  now  at  Swa- 
tow he  was  urged  to  settle  down  and  help 
them.  There  was  plenty  to  be  done,  and 
they  would  be  delighted  to  have  his  help. 

But  for  some  reason,  Mackay  scarcely 
knew  why  himself,  he  wanted  to  see  another 
place. 

Away  off  the  southeastern  coast  of  China 
lies  a  large  island  called  Formosa.  It  is  sep- 
arated from  the  mainland  by  a  body  of 
water  called  the  Formosa  Channel.  This  is 
in  some  places  eighty  miles  wide,  in  others 
almost  two  himdred.  Mackay  had  often 
heard  of  Formosa  even  before  coming  to 
China,  and  knew  it  was  famed  for  its  beauty. 


A  VOYAGE   OF   DISCOVERY  25 

Even  its  name  shows  this.  Long,  long  years 
before,  some  navigators  from  Portugal 
sailed  to  this  beautiful  island.  They  had 
stood  on  the  deck  of  their  ship  as  they  ap- 
proached it,  and  were  amazed  at  its  loveli- 
ness. They  saw  lofty  green  mountains 
piercing  the  clouds.  They  saw  silvery  cas- 
cades tumbling  down  their  sides,  flasliing  in 
the  sunlight,  and,  below,  terraced  plains 
sloping  down  to  the  sea,  covered  with  wav- 
ing bamboo  or  with  little  water-covered 
rice-fields.  It  was  all  so  delightful  that  no 
wonder  they  cried, 

' '  Illha  Formosa !    lUha  Formosa ! ' ' 

' '  Beautiful  Isle !    Beautiful  Isle. ' ' 
Since  that  day  the  ^^ Beautiful  Isle,"  per- 
haps the  most  charming  in  all  the  world,  has 
been  called  Formosa. 

And,  somehow,  Mackay  longed  to  see  this 
^^ Beautiful  Isle"  before  he  decided  where 
he  was  going  to  preach  the  gospel.  And  so 
when  the  kind  friends  at  Swatow  said,  **  Stay 
and  work  with  us,"  he  always  answered,  ^^I 
must  first  see  Formosa." 

So,  one  day,  he  sailed  away  from  the 


«6    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

mainland  toward  the  Beautiful  Isle.  He 
landed  at  Takow  in  the  south  of  the  island, 
just  about  Christmas-time.  But  Formosa 
was  green,  the  weather  was  hot,  and  he 
could  scarcely  believe  that,  at  home  in  Ox- 
ford county,  Ontario,  they  were  flying  over 
the  snow  to  the  music  of  sleigh-bells.  On 
Kew  Tear's  day  he  met  a  missionary  of  this 
south  Formosa  field,  named  Br.  Eitchie. 
He  belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
England,  which  had  a  fine  mission  there. 
For  nearly  a  month  Mackay  visited  with 
him  and  studied  the  language. 

And  while  he  visited  and  worked  there 
the  missionaries  told  him  of  the  northern 
part  of  the  island.  No  person  was  there  to 
tell  all  those  crowded  cities  of  Jesus  Christ 
and  His  love.  It  would  be  lonely  for  him 
there,  it  would  be  terribly  hard  work,  but  it 
would  be  a  grand  thing  to  lay  the  founda- 
tions, to  be  the  first  to  tell  those  people 
the  ^'good  news,"  the  young  missionary 
thought.  And,  one  day,  he  looked  up  from 
the  Chinese  book  he  was  studying  and  said 
to  Br.  Ritchie: 


A   VOYAGE   OF   DISCOVERY  27 

**I  have  decided  to  settle  in  north  For- 
mosa.'^ 

And  Dr.  Ritchie's  quick  answer  was : 

**God  bless  you,  Mackay." 

As  soon  as  the  decision  was  made,  another 
missionary.  Dr.  Dickson,  who  was  with  Mr. 
Ritchie,  decided  to  go  to  north  Formosa  with 
the  young  man,  and  show  him  over  the 
ground.  So,  early  in  the  month  of  March  in 
the  year  1872,  the  three  men  set  off  by  steam- 
ship to  sail  for  Tamsui,  a  port  in  north  For- 
mosa. They  were  two  days  making  the  voy- 
age, and  a  tropical  storm  pitched  the  small 
vessel  hither  and  thither,  so  that  they  were 
very  much  relieved  when  they  sailed  up  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Tamsui  river. 

It  was  low  tide  and  a  bare  sand-bar 
stretched  across  the  mouth  of  the  harbor, 
so  the  anchor  was  dropped,  and  they  waited 
until  the  tide  should  cover  the  bar,  and  allow 
them  to  sail  in. 

This  wait  gave  the  travelers  a  fine  oppor- 
tunity to  see  the  country.  The  view  from 
this  harbor  of  the  *^ Beautiful  Island"  was 
an  enchanting  one.    Before  them,  toward  the 


^8    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

east,  rose  tier  upon  tier  of  magnificent 
mountains,  stretching  north  and  south. 
Down  their  sloping  sides  tumbled  sparkling 
cascades  and  here  and  there  patches  of 
bright  green  showed  where  there  were  tea 
plantations.  Farther  down  were  stretches 
of  grass  and  groves  of  lovely  feathery  bam- 
boo. And  between  these  groves  stretched 
what  seemed  to  be  little  silvery  lakes,  with 
the  reflection  of  the  great  mountains  in  them. 
They  were  really  the  famous  rice-fields  of 
Formosa,  at  this  time  of  the  year  all  under 
water.  There  were  no  fences  round  their 
little  lake-fields.  They  were  of  all  shapes 
and  sizes,  and  were  divided  from  each  other 
by  little  green  fringed  dykes  or  walls.  Each 
row  of  fields  was  lower  than  the  last  until 
they  came  right  down  to  the  sea-level,  and 
all  lay  blue  and  smiling  in  the  blazing  sun- 
light. 

As  the  young  missionary  stood  spellbound, 
gazing  over  the  lovely,  fairylike  scene,  Mr. 
Ritchie  touched  his  arm. 

**This  is  your  parish,  Mackay,"  he  whis- 
pered smilingly. 


M     2 

p    « 
o 


A  VOYAGE   OF   DISCOVERY  9.9 

And  then  for  the  first  time  since  he  had 
started  on  his  long,  long  journey,  the  young 
missionary  felt  his  spirit  at  peace.  The  rest- 
lessness that  had  driven  him  on  from  one 
Chinese  port  to  another  was  gone.  This  was 
indeed  his  parish. 

Suddenly  out  swung  a  signal ;  the  tide  had 
risen.  Up  came  the  anchor,  and  away  they 
glided  over  the  now  submerged  sand-bar  into 
the  harbor. 

A  nearer  view  showed  greater  charms  in 
the  Beautiful  Isle.  On  the  south,  at  their 
right,  lay  the  great  Quan  Yin  mountain, 
towering  seventeen  hundred  feet  above  them, 
clothed  in  tall  grass  and  groves  of  bamboo, 
banyan,  and  fir  trees  of  every  conceivable 
shade  of  green.  Nestling  at  its  feet  were  lit- 
tle villages  almost  buried  in  trees.  Slowly 
the  ship  drifted  along,  passing,  here  a  queer 
fishing  village  close  to  the  sandy  shore,  yon- 
der a  light-house,  there  a  battered  Chinese 
fort  rising  from  the  top  of  a  hill. 

And  now  Tamsui  came  in  sight — the  new 
home  of  the  young  missionary.  It  seemed 
to  him  that  it  was  the  prettiest  and  the  dirt- 


so    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

iest  place  he  had  ever  seen.  The  town  lay- 
along  the  bank  of  the  river  at  the  foot  of  a 
hill.  This  bluff  rose  abruptly  behind  it  to  a 
height  of  tv^'-o  hundred  feet.  On  its  face 
stood  a  queer-looking  building.  It  was  red 
in  color,  solid  and  weather  worn,  and  above 
it  floated  the  grand  old  flag  of  Britain. 

*' That's  an  old  Dutch  fort,''  explained 
Mr.  Ritchie,  **left  there  since  they  were  in 
the  island.  It  is  the  British  consulate  now. 
There,  next  to  it,  is  the  consul's  residence." 

It  was  a  handsome  house,  just  below  the 
fort,  and  surrounded  by  lovely  gardens.  But 
down  beneath  it,  on  the  shore,  was  the  most 
interesting  place  to  the  newcomer,  the  town 
of  Tamsui  proper,  or  Ho  Be,  as  the  Chinese 
called  it.  The  foreigners  landed  and  made 
,their  way  up  the  street.  To  the  two  from 
south  Formosa,  Tamsui  was  like  every  other 
small  Chinese  town,  but  Mackay  had  not  yet 
become  accustomed  to  the  strange  sights  and 
sounds  and  N  stranger  smells,  and  his  bright 
eyes  were  keen  with  interest. 

The  main  thoroughfare  wound  this  way 
and  that,  only  seven  or  eight  feet  wide  at  its 


A   VOYAGE   OF   DISCOVERY  31 

best.  It  was  filled  with  noisy  crowds  of 
men  who  acted  as  if  they  were  on  the  verge 
of  a  terrible  fight.  But  the  older  mission- 
aries knew  that  they  were  merely  acting  as 
Chinese  crowds  always  do.  On  each  side 
were  shops, — ^tea  shops,  rice  shops,  tobacco 
shops,  and  many  other  kinds.  And  most 
numerous  of  all  were  the  shops  where  opium, 
one  of  the  greatest  curses  of  Chinese  life,  was 
sold.  The  front  wall  of  each  was  removed, 
and  the  customers  stood  in  the  street  and 
dickered  with  the  shopkeeper,  while  at  the 
top  of  his  harsh  voice  the  latter  swore  by  all 
the  gods  in  China  that  he  was  giving  the 
article  away  at  a  terrific  loss.  Through  the 
crowd  pushed  hawkers,  carrying  their  wares 
balanced  on  poles  across  their  shoulders. 
Boys  with  trays  of  Chinese  candies  and 
sugar-cane  yelled  their  wares  above  the  din. 
The  visitors  stumbled  along  over  the  rough 
stones  of  the  pavement  until  they  came  to 
the  market-place.  Foreigners  were  not  such 
a  curiosity  in  Tamsui  as  in  the  inland  towns, 
and  not  a  great  deal  of  notice  was  taken 
of   them,   but    occasionally   Mackay   could 


S2    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

hear  the  now  familiar  words  of  contempt 
— ^ '  Ugly  barbarian ' ' — ^  *  Foreign  devil ' ' — 
from  the  men  that  passed  them.  And  one 
man,  pointing  to  Mackay,  shouted  *'Ho!  the 
black-bearded  barbarian!"  It  was  a  name 
the  young  missionary  was  destined  to  hear 
very  frequently.  Past  opiiun-dens,  barber 
shops,  and  drug  stores  they  went  and 
through  the  noise  and  bustle  and  din  of  the 
market-place.  They  knew  that  the  inns, 
judging  by  the  outside,  would  be  filthy,  so 
Mr.  Ritchie  suggested,  as  evening  was  ap- 
proaching, that  they  find  some  comfortable 
place  to  spend  the  night. 

There  was  a  British  merchant  in  Tamsui 
named  Mr.  Dodd,  whom  the  missionaries 
knew.  So  to  him  they  went,  and  were  given 
fine  quarters  in  his  warehouse.  They  ate 
their  supper  here,  from  the  provisions  they 
had  bought  in  the  market,  and  stretching 
themselves  out  on  their  grass  mats  they  slept 
soundly. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  but  the  three 
travelers  spent  it  quietly  in  the  warehouse 
by  the  river,  studying  their  Bibles  and  dis- 


A   VOYAGE   OF   DISCOVERY  33 

cussing  their  proposed  trip.  They  concluded 
it  was  best  not  to  provoke  the  anger  of  the 
people  against  the  new  missionary  by 
preaching,  so  they  did  not  go  out.  To-mor- 
row they  would  start  southward  and  take 
Mackay  to  the  bounds  of  their  mission  field, 
and  show  him  the  land  that  was  to  be  ^^  his 
parish." 


RECONNOITERING  THE  TERRITORY 


CHAPTER   III 

EECONNOITERING  THE  TERRITORY 

Tj^  AELY  Monday  morning  Mackay  peeped 
•*^  out  of  the  big  warehouse  door  at  the 
great  cahn  mountain  shrouded  in  the  pale 
mists  of  early  dawn.  The  other  two  trav- 
elers were  soon  astir,  and  were  surprised 
to  find  their  young  companion  all  ready. 
They  were  not  yet  well  enough  acquainted 
with  him  to  know  that  he  could  do  with  less 
sleep  at  night  than  an  owl.  He  was  in  high 
spirits  and  as  eager  to  be  off  as  he  had  ever 
been  to  start  for  a  day's  fishing  in  the  old 
times  back  in  Ontario.  And  indeed  this  was 
just  a  great  fishing  expedition  he  was  com- 
mencing. For  had  not  One  said  to  him, 
long  long  ago  when  he  was  but  a  little  boy, 
*^Come  follow  me,  and  I  will  make  you  to 
become  a  fisher  of  men"  ?  and  he  had  obeyed. 
The  first  task  was  to  go  out  and  buy  food 
S7 


88    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

for  the  journey,  and  to  hire  a  couple  of 
coolies  to  carry  it  and  what  baggage  they 
must  take. 

Dr.  Dickson  went  off  on  this  errand,  and 
being  well  acquainted  with  Formosan  cus« 
toms  and  language,  soon  returned  with  two 
Chinese  carriers  and  plenty  of  food.  This 
last  consisted  of  canned  meats,  biscuits,  cof- 
fee, and  condensed  milk,  bought  at  a  store 
where  ships'  supplies  were  kept  for  sale. 
There  was  also  some  salted  water-buffalo 
meat,  a  Chinese  dish  with  which  the  young 
missionary  was  destined  to  become  very  fa- 
miliar. 

Thev  started  out  three  abreast,  Mr. 
Ritchie's  blue  serge  figure  capped  by  a  white 
helmet  on  the  right.  Dr.  Dickson  on  the  left 
in  his  Scotch  tweed,  and  between  them  the 
alert,  slim  figure  of  the  newcomer,  in  his 
suit  of  Canadian  gray.  The  coolies,  with 
baskets  hung  to  a  pole  across  their  shoul- 
ders, came  ambling  along  behind. 

The  three  travelers  were  in  the  gayest 
mood.  Perhaps  it  was  the  clear  spring 
morning  air,  or  the  breath  of  the  salt  ocean, 


RECONNOITERING    THE    TERRITORY  39' 

Xerhaps  it  was  the  intoxicating  beauty  of 
mcuntain  and  plain  and  river  that  sur- 
rounded them,  or  it  may  have  been  because 
they  had  given  their  lives  in  perfect  service 
to  the  One  who  is  the  source  of  all  happiness, 
but  whatever  was  the  cause,  they  were  all 
like  schoolboys  off  for  a  holiday.  The  coolies- 
who  trotted  in  the  rear  were  very  much 
amazed  and  not  a  little  amused  at  the  actions 
of  these  foolish  foreign  devils,  who  laughed 
and  joked  and  seemed  in  such  high  spirits 
for  no  reason  at  all. 

They  swung  along  the  bank  of  the  river 
until  they  came  to  the  ferry  that  was  to 
take  them  to  the  other  side.  They  sprang 
into  the  boat  and  were  shoved  off.  Before 
they  reached  the  other  side,  at  Dr.  Dickson's 
suggestion,  they  took  off  their  shoes  and 
socks,  and  stowed  them  away  in  the  car- 
riers' baskets.  When  they  came  to  the  op- 
posite bank  they  rolled  up  their  trousers  to- 
their  knees  and  sprang  out  into  the  shallow 
water.  For  a  short  distance  they  had  the  joy 
of  tramping  barefoot  along  the  hard  gleam- 
ing sand  of  the  harbor. 


40        BLACK  BEARDED  BILRBAHIAN 

But  shoes  and  stockings  had  to  be  re- 
sumed, for  soon  they  turned  inland,  on  a 
path  that  wound  up  to  the  high  plain  above 
the  river. 

*^Do  you  ever  use  a  horse  on  your  trav- 
els?" asked  young  Mackay  as  they  climbed 
upward. 

Mr.  Ritchie  laughed.  *^You  couldn't  get 
one  in  north  Formosa  for  love  or  money. 
And  if  you  could,  he  wouldn't  be  any  use." 

^*  Unless  he  was  a  second  Pegasus,  and 
could  soar  above  the  Formosan  roads," 
added  Dr.  Dickson.  ^^Wait  a  bit,  and 
you'll  understand." 

The  young  missionary  waited,  and  kept 
his  eyes  open  for  the  answer.  The  pathway 
crossed  a  grassy  plain  where  groups  of 
queer-looking,  mouse-colored  animals,  half 
ox,  half  buffalo,  with  great  spreading  horns, 
strayed  about,  herded  by  boys,  or  lay  wal- 
lowing in  deep  pools. 

*^ Water-buffaloes,"  he  said,  remembering 
them  as  he  had  seen  them  in  the  south. 

*^The  most  useful  animal  on  the  island," 
remarked  Mr,  Eitchie,  adding  with  a  laugh, 


RECONNOITERING    THE    TERRITORY  41 

*^ except  perhaps  the  pig.  You'll  have  a 
taste  of  Mr.  Buffalo  for  your  dinner, 
Mackay." 

And  now  they  were  up  on  the  heights,  and 
the  lovely  country  lay  spread  out  before 
them.  Mackay  mentally  compared  this  walk 
to  many  he  had  taken  along  the  country 
roads  of  his  native  land.  It  was  early  in 
March,  but  as  there  had  been  no  winter,  so 
there  was  no  spring.  It  was  summer, — 
warm,  radiant  summer,  like  a  lovely  day  in 
June  at  home.  Dandelions,  violets,  and 
many  gay  flowers  that  he  did  not  recognize 
spangled  the  grassy  plain.  The  skylark  high 
overhead  was  pouring  out  its  glorious  song, 
just  as  he  had  heard  it  in  his  student  days 
in  Scotland.  Here  and  there  were  cliunps 
of  fir  trees  that  reminded  him  of  Canada, 
but  on  the  whole  the  scene  was  new  and  won- 
derful to  his  Western  eyes. 

They  were  now  on  the  first  level  of  the 
rice-fields.  The  farms  were  tiny  things,  none 
larger  than  eight  or  ten  acres.  They  were 
divided  into  queer-shaped  little  irrigated 
fields,  separated  not  by  fences,  but  by  little 


42        BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

low  walls  of  mud.  Every  farm  was  under 
water  now,  and  here  and  there,  wading 
through  his  little  flooded  fields,  went  the 
farmer  with  his  plough,  drawn  by  a  useful 
water-buffalo, — ^the  latter  apparently  quite 
happy  at  being  allowed  to  splash  about  in 
the  mud. 

These  rice-farms  soon  became  a  familiar 
sight  to  the  newcomer.  He  liked  to  see  them 
at  all  times — ^when  each  field  was  a  pretty 
blue  or  green  lake,  later  when  the  water  was 
€hoked  with  the  fresh  green  growth,  or  in 
harvest  days,  when  the  farmers  stripped  the 
fields  of  their  grain.  Just  now  they  were  at 
their  prettiest.  Row  above  row,  they  went 
up  the  mountainside,  like  a  great  glass 
stairs,  each  row  reflecting  the  green  hills 
and  the  bamboo  groves  above.  And  from 
each  terrace  to  the  one  below,  the  water 
tumbled  in  pretty  little  cascades  that 
sparkled  in  the  sunlight  and  filled  the  air 
with  music.  For  travelers  there  were  only 
narrow  paths  between  farms,  and  often 
only  the  ridge  of  the  dykes  between  field 
and  field.    As  they  made  their  way  between 


RECONNOITERING    THE    TERRITORY  4S 

the  tiny  fields,  walking  along  the  narrow 
dykes,  and  listening  to  the  splashing  sound 
of  the  water,  Mackay  understood  what  Dr. 
Dickson  meant,  when  he  remarked  that 
only  a  flying  horse  could  be  of  use  on  such 
Formosan  cross-country  journeys. 

Soon  the  pathway  changed  once  more  to 
the  broader  public  highway.  Here  there  wast 
much  traffic,  and  many  travelers  carried  in 
sedan-chairs  passed  them.  And  many  times 
by  the  roadside  Mackay  saw  something  that 
reminded  him  forcibly  of  why  he  had  come 
to  Formosa — a  heathen  shrine.  The  whole 
countryside  seemed  dotted  with  them.  And 
as  he  watched  the  worshipers  coming  and 
going,  and  heard  the  disdainful  words  from 
the  priests  cast  at  the  hated  foreigners,  he 
realized  that  he  was  face  to  face  with  an 
awful  opposing  force.  It  was  the  great  stone 
of  heathenism  he  had  come  to  break,  and  the 
question  was,  would  he  be  as  successful  as: 
he  had  been  long  ago  in  the  Canadian  pas- 
ture-field? 

The  travelers  ate  their  dinner  by  the  road- 
side under  the  shade  of  some  fir  trees  that 


44        BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

made  Mackay  feel  at  home.  They  were  soon 
up  and  off  again,  and,  tired  with  their  long 
tramp,  they  arrived  at  a  town  called  Tiong- 
lek,  and  decided  to  spend  the  night  there. 
The  place  was  about  the  size  of  Tamsui,  with 
between  four  and  five  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  was  quite  as  dirty  and  almost  as  noisy. 
They  walked  down  the  main  street  with  its 
uneven  stone  pavement,  its  open  shops,  its 
noisy  bargains,  and  above  all  its  horrible 
smells.  With  the  exception  of  an  occasional 
visit  from  an  official,  foreigners  scarcely 
ever  came  to  Tiong-lek,  and  on  every  side 
were  revilings  and  threatenings.  One  yel- 
low-faced youngster  picked  up  a  handful  of 
mud  and  threw  it  at  the  hated  foreigners; 
and  ''Black-bearded  barbarian,"  mingled 
with  their  shouts.  Mackay 's  bright  eyes  took 
in  everything,  and  he  realized  more  and 
more  the  difficulties  of  the  task  before  him. 
They  stopped  in  front  of  a  low  one-story 
building  made  of  sun-dried  bricks.  This 
was  the  Tiong-lek  hotel  where  they  were  to 
spend  the  night.  Like  most  Chinese  houses 
it  was  composed  of  a  number  of  buildings 


RECONNOITERING    THE    TERRITORY  45^ 

arranged  in  the  form  of  a  square  with  a 
courtyard  in  the  center.  Dr.  Dickson  asked 
for  lodgings  from  the  slant-eyed  proprietor. 
He  looked  askance  at  the  foreigners,  but  con- 
cluded that  their  money  was  as  good  as  any 
one  else's,  and  he  led  them  through  the  deep 
doorway  into  the  courtyard. 

In  the  center  of  this  yard  stood  an  earthen 
range,  with  a  fire  in  it.  Several  travelers 
stood  about  it  cooking  their  rice.  It  was^ 
evidently  the  hotel  dining-room;  a  dining- 
room  that  was  open  to  all  too,  for  chickens 
clucked  and  cackled  and  pigs  grunted  about 
the  range  and  made  themselves  quite  at 
home.  The  men  about  the  gateway  scowled 
and  muttered  *^ Foreign  devil,"  as  the  three 
strangers  passed  them. 

They  crossed  the  courtyard  and  entered 
their  room,  or  rather  stumbled  into  it,  in 
semi-darkness.  Mackay  peered  about  him 
curiously.  He  discovered  three  beds,  made 
of  planks  and  set  on  brick  pillars  for  legs. 
Each- was  covered  with  a  dirty  mat  woven 
from  grass  and  reeking  with  the  odor  of 
opium  smoke. 


46   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

A  servant  came  in  with  something  evi- 
dently intended  for  a  lamp — a  burning  pith 
wick  set  in  a  saucer  of  peanut  oil.  It  gave 
out  only  a  faint  glimmer  of  light,  but 
enough  to  enable  the  young  missionary  to 
see  something  else  in  the  room, — some 
things  rather,  that  ran  and  skipped  and 
swarmed  all  over  the  damp  earthen  floor 
and  the  dirty  walls.  There  were  thousands 
of  these  brisk  little  creatures,  all  leaping 
about  in  pleasant  anticipation  of  the  good 
iime  they  would  have  when  the  barbarians 
went  to  bed.  There  was  no  window,  and 
only  the  one  door  that  opened  into  the 
courtyard.  An  old  pig,  evidently  more 
friendly  to  the  foreigners  than  her  masters, 
came  waddling  toward  them  followed  by 
her  squealing  little  brood,  and  flopping 
down  into  the  mud  in  the  doorway  lay 
there  uttering  grunts  of  content. 

The  evil  smells  of  the  room,  the  stench 
from  the  pigs,  and  the  still  more  dreadful 
odors  wafted  from  the  queer  food  cooking 
on  the  range,  made  the  young  traveler's  un- 
accustomed senses  revolt.    He  had  a  half  no- 


m 


<y 


RECONNOITERING    THE    TERRITORY  47 

tion  that  the  two  older  men  were  putting  up 
a  joke  on  him. 

^^I  suppose  you  thought  it  wise  to  give  me 
a  strong  dose  of  all  this  at  the  start ?'^  he 
inquired  humorously,  holding  his  nose  and 
glancing  from  the  pigs  at  the  door  to  the 
crawlers  on  the  wall. 

*^A  strong  dose!"  laughed  Mr.  Eitchie. 
*^Not  a  bit  of  it,  young  man.  Wait  till 
youVe  had  some  experience  of  the  luxuries 
of  Formosan  inns.  You'll  be  calling  this  the 
Queen's  Hotel,  before  you've  been  here 
long!" 

And  so  indeed  it  proved  later,  for  George 
Mackay  had  yet  much  to  learn  of  the  true 
character  of  Chinese  inns. 

Needless  to  say  he  spent  a  wakeful  night, 
on  his  hard  plank  bed,  and  was  up  early  in 
the  morning.  The  travelers  ate  their  break- 
fast in  a  room  where  the  ducks  and  hens 
clattered  about  under  the  table  and  between 
their  legs.  Fortunately  the  food  was  taken 
from  their  own  stores,  and  in  spite  of  the 
surroundings  was  quite  appetizing. 

They  started  off  early,  drawing  in  great 


48        BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

breaths  of  the  pure  morning  air,  relieved  to 
be  away  from  the  odors  of  the  '^Queen's  Ho- 
tel." Three  hundred  feet  above  them,  high 
against  the  deep  blue  of  the  morning  sky, 
stood  Table  Hill,  and  they  started  on  a  brisk 
climb  up  its  side.  The  sun  had  not  risen, 
but  already  the  farmers  were  out  in  their 
little  water-fields,  or  working  in  their  tea 
plantations.  The  mountain  with  its  groves 
of  bamboo  lay  reflected  in  the  little  mirrors 
of  the  rice-fields.  A  steady  climb  brought 
them  to  the  summit,  and  after  a  long  descent 
on  the  other  side  and  a  tramp  through  tea 
plantations  they  arrived  in  the  evening  at  a 
large  city  with  a  high  wall  around  it,  the  city 
of  Tek-chham.  That  night  in  the  city  inn 
was  so  much  worse  than  the  one  at  Tiong- 
lek  that  the  Canadian  was  convinced  his 
friends  must  have  reserved  the  '^strong 
dose"  for  the  second  night.  There  were  the 
same  smells,  the  same  sorts  of  pigs  and  ducks 
and  hens,  the  same  breeds  of  lively  nightly 
companions,  and  each  seemed  to  have  gained 
a  fresh  force. 
It  was  a  relief  to  be  out  in  the  fields  again 


RECONNOITERING    THE    TERRITORY  49 

after  the  foul  odors  of  the  night,  and  the 
travelers  were  off  before  dawn.  The  coun- 
try looked  more  familiar  to  Mackay  this 
morning,  for  they  passed  through  wheat  and 
barley  fields.  It  seemed  so  strange  to  wan- 
der over  a  man's  farm  by  a  footpath,  but  it 
was  a  Chinese  custom  to  which  he  soon  be- 
came accustomed. 

The  sun  was  blazing  hot,  and  it  was  a 
great  relief  when  they  entered  the  cool  shade 
of  a  forest.  It  was  a  delightful  place  and 
George  Mackay  reveled  in  its  beauty.  Ever 
since  he  had  been  able  to  run  about  his  own 
home  farm  in  Ontario  his  eyes  had  always 
been  wide  open  to  observe  anything  new. 
He  had  studied  as  much  out  of  doors,  all  his 
life,  as  he  had  done  in  college,  and  now  he 
found  this  forest  a  perfect  library  of  new 
things.  Nearly  every  tree  and  flower  was' 
strange  to  his  Canadian  eyes.  Here  and 
there,  in  sheltered  valleys,  grew  the  tree- 
fern,  the  most  beautiful  object  in  the  forest, 
towering  away  up  sometimes  to  a  height  of 
sixty  feet,  and  spreading  its  stately  fronds 
out  to  a  width  of  fifteen  feet.    There  was  a 


50    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

lovely  big  plant  with  purple  stem  and  pur- 
ple leaves,  and  when  Dr.  Dickson  told  him  it 
was  the  castor-oil  plant,  he  smiled  at  the  re- 
membrance of  the  trials  that  plant  had 
caused  him  in  younger  days.  One  elegant 
tree,  straight  as  a  pine,  rose  fifty  feet  in 
height,  with  leaves  away  up  at  the  top  only. 
This  was  the  betel-nut  tree. 

**The  nuts  of  that  tree,"  said  Mr.  Eitchie, 
standing  and  pointing  away  up  to  where  the 
sunlight  filtered  through  the  far-off  leaves, 
**are  the  chewing  tobacco  of  Formosa  and 
all  the  islands  about  here.  The  Chinese  do 
not  chew^  it,  but  the  Malayans  do.  You  will 
meet  some  of  these  natives  soon." 

On  every  side  grew  the  rattan,  half  tree, 
half  vine.  It  started  off  as  a  tree  and  grew 
straight  up  often  to  twenty  feet  in  height, 
and  then  spread  itself  out  over  the  tops  of 
other  trees  and  plants  in  vine-like  fashion; 
some  of  its  branches  measured  ahnost  five 
hundred  feet  in  length. 

The  travelers  paused  to  admire  one  high 
up  in  the  branches  of  the  trees. 

Many  a  Chinaman  loses  his  head  hunt- 


er 


RECONNOITERING    THE    TERRITORY  51 

ing  that  plant,"  remarked  Mr.  Ritchie. 
*^  These  islanders  export  a  great  deal  of  rat- 
tan, and  the  head-hunters  up  there  in  the 
mountains  watch  for  the  Chinese  when  they 
are  working  in  the  forest." 

Mackay  listened  eagerly  to  his  friends' 
tales  of  the  head-hunting  savages,  living  in 
the  mountains.  They  were  always  on  the 
lookout  for  the  farmers  near  their  forest 
lairs.  They  watched  for  any  unwary  man 
who  went  too  near  the  woods,  pounced  upon 
him,  and  went  off  in  triumph  with  his  head 
in  a  bag. 

The  young  traveler's  eyes  brightened, 
^^I'll  visit  them  some  day!"  he  cried,  look- 
ing off  toward  the  mountainside.  Mr.  Rit- 
chie glanced  quickly  at  the  flashing  eyes  and 
the  quick,  alert  figure  of  the  young  man  as 
he  strode  along,  and  some  hint  came  to  him 
of  the  dauntless  young  heart  which  beat  be- 
neath that  coat  of  Canadian  gray. 

Two  days  more  over  hill  and  dale,  through 
rice  and  tea  and  tobacco-fields,  and  then,  in 
the  middle  of  a  hot  afternoon,  Mr.  Ritchie 
began  to  shiver  and  shake  as  though  half 


5g        BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

frozen.  Dr.  Dickson  understood,  and  at  the 
next  stopping-place  he  ordered  a  sedan-chair 
and  four  coolies  to  carry  it.  It  was  the  old 
dreaded  disease  that  hangs  like  a  black  cloud 
over  lovely  Formosa,  the  malarial  fever. 
Mr.  Ritchie  had  been  a  missionary  only  four 
years  in  the  island,  but  already  the  scourge 
had  come  upon  him,  and  his  system  was 
weakened.  For,  once  seized  by  malaria  in' 
Formosa,  one  seldom  makes  his  escape. 
They  put  the  sick  man  into  the  chair,  now 
in  a  raging  fever,  and  he  was  carried  by 
the  four  coolies. 

They  were  nearing  the  end  of  their  jour- 
ney and  were  now  among  a  people  not  Chi- 
nese. They  belonged  to  the  original  Ma- 
layan race  of  the  island.  They  had  been 
conquered  by  the  Chinese,  who  in  the  early 
days  came  over  from  China  under  a  pirate 
named  Koxinga.  As  the  Chinese  name 
every  one  but  themselves  ^^ barbarians,"  they 
gave  this  name  to  all  the  natives  of  the  is- 
land. They  had  conquered  all  but  the 
dreaded  head-hunters,  who,  free  in  their 
mountain  fastnesses,  took  a  terrible  toll  of 


RECONNOITERING    THE    TERRITORY  53 

heads  from  their  would-be  conquerors,  or 
even  from  their  own  half -civilized  brethren. 

The  native  Malayans  who  had  been  sub- 
dued by  the  Chinese  were  given  different 
names.  Those  who  lived  on  the  great  level 
rice-plain  over  which  the  missionaries  were 
traveling,  were  called  Pe-po-hoan,  *^  Barbar- 
ians of  the  plain."  Mackay  could  see  little 
difference  between  them  and  the  Chinese,  ex- 
cept in  the  cast  of  their  features,  and  their 
long-shaped  heads.  They  wore  Chinese 
dress,  even  to  the  cue,  worshiped  the  Chi- 
nese gods,  and  spoke  with  a  peculiar  Ma- 
layan twang. 

The  travelers  were  journeying  rather 
wearily  over  a  low  muddy  stretch  of  ground, 
picking  their  way  along  the  narrow  paths 
between  the  rice-fields,  when  they  saw  a 
group  of  men  come  hurrying  down  the  path 
to  meet  them.  They  kept  calling  out,  but 
the  words  they  used  were  not  the  familiar 
^^foreign  devil"  or  ^^ugly  barbarian."  In- 
stead the  people  were  shouting  words  of  joy- 
ful welcome. 

Dr.  Dickson  hailed  them  with  delight,  and 


54         BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

soon  he  and  Mr.  Ritchie's  sedan-chair  were 
surrounded  by  a  clamorous  group  of  friends. 

They  had  journeyed  so  far  south  that  they 
had  arrived  at  the  borders  of  the  English 
Presbyterian  mission,  and  the  people  crowd- 
ing about  them  were  native  Christians.  It 
was  all  so  different  from  their  treatment  by 
the  heathen  that  Mackay's  heart  was 
warmed.  When  the  great  stone  of  heathen- 
ism was  broken,  what  love  and  kindness 
were  revealed! 

The  visitors  were  led  in  triumph  to  the  vil- 
lage. There  was  a  chapel  here,  and  they 
stayed  nearly  a  week,  preaching  and  teach- 
ing. 

The  rest  did  Mr.  Ritchie  much  good,  and 
at  the  end  of  their  visit  he  was  once  more 
able  to  start  off  on  foot.  They  moved  on 
from  village  to  village  and  everywhere  the 
Pe-po-hoan  Christians  received  them  with 
the  greatest  hospitality. 

But  at  last  the  three  friends  found  the 
time  had  come  for  them  to  part.  The  two 
Englishmen  had  to  go  on  through  their  fields 
to  their  south  Eormosan  home  and  the  young 


RECONNOITERING    THE    TERRITORY  55 

Canadian  must  go  back  to  fight  the  battle 
alone  in  the  north  of  the  island.  He  had 
endeared  himself  to  the  two  older  men,  and 
when  the  farewells  came  they  were  filled 
with  regret. 

They  bade  him  a  lingering  good-by,  with 
many  blessings  upon  his  young  head,  and 
many  prayers  for  success  in  the  hard  fight 
upon  which  he  was  entering.  They  walked 
a  short  way  with  him,  and  stood  watching 
the  straight,  lithe  young  figure,  so  full  of 
courage  and  hope  until  it  disappeared  down 
the  valley.  They  knew  only  too  well  the 
dangers  and  trials  ahead  of  him,  but  they 
knew  also  that  he  was  not  going  into  the 
fight  alone.  For  the  Captain  was  going  with 
his  young  soldier. 

There  was  a  suspicion  of  moisture  in  the 
eyes  of  the  older  missionaries  as  they  turned 
back  to  prepare  for  their  own  journey  south- 
ward. 

^*God  bless  the  boy!"  said  Dr.  Dickson 
fervently.  ''Well  hear  of  that  young  fel- 
low yet,  Eitchie.   He 's  on  fire. ' ' 


BEGINNING  THE  SIEGE 


CHAPTER  TV. 

BEGINNING  THE  SIEGE 

npHE  news  was  soon  noised  about  Tamsui 
-*•  that  one  of  the  three  barbarians  who 
had  so  lately  visited  the  town  had  returned 
to  make  the  place  his  home.  This  was  most 
unwelcome  tidings  to  the  heathen,  and  the 
air  was  filled  with  mutterings  and  threat- 
enings,  and  every  one  was  determined  to 
drive  the  foreign  devil  out  if  at  all  possible. 
So  Mackay  found  himself  meeting  everj^ 
kind  of  opposition.  He  was  too  independent 
to  ask  assistance  from  the  British  consul  in 
the  old  Dutch  fort  on  the  bluff,  or  of  any 
other  European  settlers  in  Tamsui.  He  was 
bound  to  make  his  own  way.  But  it  was  not 
easy  to  do  so  in  view  of  the  forces  which  op- 
posed him.  He  had  now  been  in  Formosa 
about  two  months  and  had  studied  the  Chi-* 

59 


60        BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

nese  language  every  waking  hour,  but  it  was 
very  difficult,  and  tie  found  his  usually  ready 
tongue  wofuUy  handicapped. 

His  first  concern  was  to  get  a  dwelling- 
place,  and  he  went  from  house  to  house  in- 
quiring for  some  place  to  rent.  Everywhere 
he  went  he  was  turned  away  with  rough 
abuse,  and  occasionally  the  dogs  were  set 
upon  him. 

But  at  last  he  was  successful.  Up  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  a  little  way  from  the  edge 
of  the  town,  he  found  a  place  which  the 
owner  condescended  to  rent.  It  was  a  mis- 
erable little  hut,  half  house,  half  cellar,  built 
into  the  side  of  the  hill  facing  the  river.  A 
military  officer  had  intended  it  for  his  horse- 
stable,  and  yet  Mackay  paid  for  this  hovel 
the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars  a  month.  It  had 
three  rooms,  one  without  a  floor.  The  road 
ran  past  the  door,  and  a  few  feet  beyond 
was  the  river.  By  spending  money  rather 
liberally  he  managed  to  hire  the  coolie  who 
had  accompanied  him  to  south  Formosa. 
With  his  servant's  help  Mackay  had  his  new 
establishment  thoroughly  cleaned  and  white- 


BEGINNING   THE    SIEGE  61 

washed,  and  then  he  moved  in  his  furniture. 
He  laughed  as  he  called  it  furniture,  for  it 
consisted  of  but  two  packing  boxes  full  of 
books  and  clothing.  But  more  came  later. 
The  British  consul,  Mr.  Prater,  lent  him  a 
chair  and  a  bed.  There  was  one  old  Chinese, 
who  kept  a  shop  near  by,  and  who  seemed  in- 
clined to  be  friendly  to  the  queer  barbarian 
with  the  black  beard.  He  presented  him 
with  an  old  pewter  lamp,  and  the  house  was 
furnished  complete. 

Mackay  sat  down  at  his  one  table,  the  first 
night  after  he  was  settled.  The  damp  air 
was  hot  and  heavy,  and  swarms  of  torment- 
ing mosquitoes  filled  the  room.  Through  the 
open  door  came  the  murmur  of  the  river, 
and  from  far  down  in  the  village  the  sounds 
of  harsh,  clamorous  voices.  He  was  alone, 
many,  many  miles  from  home  and  friends. 
Around  him  on  every  side  were  bitter  en- 
emies. 

One  might  have  supposed  he  would  be 
overcome  at  the  thought  of  the  stupendous 
task  before  him,  but  whoever  supposed  that 
did  not  know  George  Mackay.    He  lighted 


m        BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

Ms  pewter  lamp,  opened  his  diary,  and  these 
are  the  words  he  wrote : 

^^Here  I  am  in  this  house,  having  been  led 
all  the  way  from  the  old  homestead  in  Zorra 
by  Jesus,  as  direct  as  though  my  boxes  were 
labeled,  *Tamsui,  Formosa,  China.'  Oh,  the 
glorious  priyilege  to  lay  the  foundation  of 
Christ's  Church  in  unbroken  heathenism! 
God  help  me  to  do  this  with  the  open  Bible ! 
Again  I  swear  allegiance  to  thee,  O  King 
Jesus,  my  Captain.    So  help  me  God ! ' ' 

And  now  his  first  duty  was  to  learn  the 
Chinese  language.  He  could  already  speak 
a  little,  but  it  would  be  a  long  time,  he  knew, 
before  he  could  preach.  And  yet,  how  was 
he  to  learn?  he  asked  himself.  He  was  a 
scholar  without  a  teacher  or  school.  But 
there  was  his  servant,  and  nothing  daunted 
by  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome,  he  set  to 
work  to  make  him  his  teacher  also. 

George  Mackay  always  went  at  any  task 
with  all  his  might  and  main,  and  he  attacked 
the  Chinese  language  in  the  same  manner. 
He  found  it  a  hard  stone  to  break,  however. 
^^Of  all  earthly  things  I  know  of,"  he  re- 


BEGINNING    THE    SIEGE  63 

marked  once,  ^4t  is  the  most  intricate  and 
difficult  to  master.'' 

His  unwilling  teacher  was  just  about  as 
hard  to  manage  as  his  task,  for  the  coolie 
did  not  take  kindly  to  giving  lessons.  He 
certainly  had  a  rather  hard  time.  Day  and 
night  his  master  deluged  him  with  questions. 
He  made  him  repeat  phrases  again  and 
again  until  his  pupil  could  say  them  cor- 
rectly. He  asked  him  the  name  of  every- 
thing inside  the  house  and  out,  until  the 
easy-going  Oriental  was  overcome  with  dis- 
may. This  wild  barbarian,  with  the  fierj' 
eyes  and  the  black  beard,  was  a  terrible 
creature  who  gave  one  no  rest  night  nor 
day.  Sometimes  after  Mackay  had  spent 
hours  with  him,  imitating  sounds  and  re- 
peating the  names  of  things  over  and  over, 
his  harassed  teacher  would  back  out  of  the 
room  stealthily,  keeping  an  anxious  eye  on 
his  master,  and  showing  plainly  he  had 
grave  fears  that  the  foreigner  had  gone 
quite  mad. 

Mackay  realized  that  the  pace  was  too 
hard  for  his  servant,  and  that  the  poor  f el- 


64        BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

low  was  in  a  fair  way  to  lose  what  little  wits 
he  had,  if  not  left  alone  occasionally.  So 
one  day  he  wandered  out  along  the  river- 
bank,  in  search  of  some  one  who  would  talk 
with  him.  He  turned  into  a  path  that  led  up 
the  hill  behind  the  town.  He  was  in  hopes 
he  might  meet  a  farmer  who  would  be 
friendly. 

When  he  reached  the  top  of  the  bluff  he 
found  a  grassy  common  stretching  back  to- 
ward the  rice-fields.  Here  and  there  over 
these  downs  strayed  the  queer-looking  wa- 
ter-buffaloes. Some  of  them  were  plunged 
deep  in  pools  of  water,  and  lay  there  like 
pigs  with  only  their  noses  out. 

He  heard  a  merry  laugh  and  shout  from 
another  part  of  the  common,  and  there  sat 
a  crowd  of  frolicsome  Chinese  boys,  in 
large  sun  hats,  and  short  loose  trousers^ 
There  were  about  a  dozen  of  them,  and  they 
were  supposed  to  be  herding  the  water-buf- 
faloes to  keep  them  out  of  the  unfenced 
fields.  But,  boylike,  they  were  flying  kites, 
and  letting  their  huge-horned  charges  herd 
themselves. 


BEGINNING   THE    SIEGE  65 

Mackay  walked  over  toward  them.  It  was 
not  so  long  since  he  had  been  a  boy  himself, 
and  these  jolly  lads  appealed  to  him.  But 
the  moment  one  caught  sight  of  the  stran- 
ger, he  gave  a  shout  of  alarm.  The  rest 
jumped  up,  and  with  yells  of  terror  and 
cries  of  ^^ Here's  the  foreign  devil!"  *^Run, 
or  the  foreign  devil  will  get  you ! ' '  away  they 
went  helter-skelter,  their  big  hats  waving, 
their  loose  clothes  flapping  wildly.  They  all 
disappeared  like  magic  behind  a  big  boul- 
der, and  the  cause  of  their  terror  had  to 
walk  away. 

But  the  next  day,  when  his  servant  once 
more  showed  signs  of  mental  exhaustion,  he 
strolled  out  again  upon  the  downs.  The 
boys  were  there  and  saw  him  coming. 
Though  they  did  not  actually  run  away  this 
time,  they  retired  to  a  safe  distance,  and 
stood  ready  to  fly  at  any  sign  of  the  barbar- 
ian's  approach.  They  watched  him  won- 
deringly.  They  noticed  his  strange  white 
face,  his  black  beard,  his  hair  cut  off  quite 
short,  his  amazing  hat,  and  his  ridiculous 
clothes.    And  when  at  last  he  walked  away, 


66        BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

and  all  danger  was  over,  they  burst  into 
shouts  of  laughter. 

The  next  day,  as  they  scampered  about 
the  common,  here  again  came  the  absurd- 
looking  stranger,  walking  slowly,  as  though 
careful  not  to  frighten  them.  The  boys  did 
not  run  away  this  time,  and  to  their  utter 
astonishment  he  spoke  to  them.  Mackay 
had  practised  carefully  the  words  he  was  to 
say  to  them,  and  the  well-spoken  Chinese 
astounded  the  lads  as  much  as  if  one  of  the 
monkeys  that  gamboled  about  the  trees  of 
their  forests  should  come  down  and  say, 
'  *  How  do  you  do,  boys  ? ' ' 

**Why,  he  speaks  our  words!"  they  all 
cried  at  once. 

As  they  stood  staring,  Mackay  took  out 
his  watch  and  held  it  up  for  them  to  see.  It 
glittered  in  the  sun,  and  at  the  sight  of  it 
and  the  kind  smiling  face  above,  they  lost 
their  fears  and  crowded  around  him.  They 
examined  the  watch  in  great  wonder.  They 
handled  his  clothes,  exclaimed  over  the  but- 
tons on  his  coat,  and  inquired  what  they 
were  for.     They  felt  his  hands  and  his  fin- 


BEGINNING   THE    SIEGE  67 

gers,  and  finally  decided  that,  in  spite  of  his 
queer  looks,  he  was  after  all  a  man. 

From  that  day  the  young  missionary  and 
the  herd-boys  were  great  friends.  Every 
day  he  joined  them  in  the  buffalo  pasture, 
and  would  spend  from  four  to  five  hours 
with  them.  And  as  they  were  very  willing 
to  talk,  he  not  only  learned  their  language 
rapidly,  but  also  learned  much  about  their 
homes,  their  schools,  their  customs,  and  their 
religion. 

One  day,  after  a  lengthy  lesson  from  his 
servant,  the  latter  decided  that  the  barba- 
rian was  unbearable,  and  bundling  up  his 
clothes  he  marched  off,  without  so  much  as 
**by  your  leave."  So  Mackay  fell  back  en- 
tirely upon  his  little  teachers  on  the  com- 
mon. With  their  assistance  in  the  day- 
time and  his  Chinese-English  dictionary  at 
night,  he  made  wonderful  progress. 

He  was  left  alone  now,  to  get  his  own 
meals  and  keep  the  swarms  of  flies  and  the 
damp  mold  out  of  his  hut  by  the  riverside. 
He  soon  learned  to  eat  rice  and  water-buf- 
falo meat,  but  he  missed  the  milk  and  butter 


68         BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

and  cheese  of  his  old  Canadian  home.  For 
he  discovered  that  cows  were  never  milked 
in  Formosa.  There  was  variety  of  food, 
however,  as  almost  every  kind  of  vegetable 
that  he  had  ever  tasted  and  many  new  kinds 
that  he  found  delicious  were  for  sale  in  the 
open-fronted  shops  in  the  village.  Then  the 
fruits!  They  were  fresh  at  all  seasons — 
oranges  the  whole  year,  bananas  fresh  from 
the  fields — and  such  pineapples!  He  re- 
alized that  he  had  never  really  tasted  pine- 
apples before. 

Meanwhile,  he  was  becoming  acquainted. 
All  the  families  of  the  herd-boys  learned  to 
like  him,  and  when  others  came  to  know 
him  they  treated  him  with  respect.  He  was 
a  teacher,  they  learned,  and  in  China  a 
teacher  is  always  looked  upon  with  some- 
thing like  reverence.  And,  besides,  he  had 
a  beard.  This  appendage  was  considered 
very  honorable  among  Chinese,  so  the  black- 
bearded  barbarian  was  respected  because  of 
this. 

But  there  was  one  class  that  treated  him 
with  the  greatest  scorn.     These  were  the 


BEGINNING    THE    SIEGE  69 

Chinese  scholars.  They  were  the  literati, 
and  were  like  princes  in  the  land.  They  de- 
spised every  one  who  was  not  a  graduate  of 
their  schools,  and  most  of  all  they  despised 
this  barbarian  who  dared  to  set  himself  up 
as  a  teacher.  Mackay  had  now  learned  Chi- 
nese well  enough  to  preach,  and  his  sermons 
aroused  the  indignation  of  these  proud  grad- 
uates. 

Sometimes  when  one  was  passing  the  lit- 
tle hut  by  the  river,  he  would  drop  in,  and 
glance  around  just  to  see  what  sort  of  place 
the  barbarian  kept.  He  would  pick  up  the 
Bible  and  other  books,  throw  them  on  the 
floor,  and  with  words  of  contempt  strut 
proudly  out. 

Mackay  endured  this  treatment  patiently, 
but  he  set  himself  to  study  their  books,  for 
he  felt  sure  that  the  day  was  not  far  distant 
when  he  must  meet  these  conceited  literati 
in  argument. 

He  went  about  a  good  deal  now.  The 
Tamsui  people  became  accustomed  to  him, 
and  he  was  not  troubled  much.  His  bright 
eyes  were  always  wide  open  and  he  learned 


70    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

much  of  the  lives  of  the  people  he  had  come 
to  teach.  Among  the  poor  he  found  a  pov- 
erty of  which  he  had  never  dreamed.  They 
could  live  upon  what  a  so-called  poor  fam- 
ily in  Canada  would  throw  away.  Nothing 
was  wasted  in  China.  He  often  saw  the 
meat  and  fruit  tins  he  threw  away  when 
they  were  emptied,  reappearing  in  the  mar- 
ket-place. He  learned  that  these  poorer 
people  suffered  cruel  wrongs  at  the  hands 
of  their  magistrates.  He  visited  a  yamen^ 
or  court-house,  and  saw  the  mandarin  dis- 
pense ^* justice,"  but  his  judgment  was  said 
to  be  always  given  in  favor  of  the  one  who 
paid  him  the  highest  bribe.  He  saw  the 
widow  robbed,  and  the  innocent  suffering 
frightful  tortures,  and  sometimes  he  strode 
home  to  his  little  hut  by  the  river,  his  blood 
tingling  with  righteous  indignation.  And 
then  he  would  pray  with  all  his  soul : 

**0  God,  give  me  power  to  teach  these  peo- 
ple of  thy  love  through  Jesus  Christ!'' 

But  of  all  the  horrors  of  heathenism,  and 
there  were  many,  he  found  the  religion  the 
most  dreadful.    He  had  read  about  it  when 


BEGINNING   THE    SIEGE  71 

on  board  ship,  but  he  found  it  was  infinitely 
worse  when  written  in  men's  lives  than 
when  set  down  in  print.  He  never  realized 
what  a  blessing  was  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  a  nation  until  he  lived  among  a 
people  who  did  not  know  Him. 

He  found  almost  as  much  difficulty  in 
learning  the  Chinese  religion  as  the  Chinese 
language.  After  he  had  spent  days  trying 
to  understand  it,  it  would  seem  to  him  like 
some  horrible  nightmare  filled  with  wicked 
devils  and  no  less  wicked  gods  and  evil 
spirits  and  ugly  idols.  And  to  make  matters 
worse  there  was  not  one  religion,  but  a  be- 
wildering mixture  of  three.  First  of  aU 
there  was  the  ancient  Chinese  religion,  called 
Confucianism.  Confucius,  a  wise  man  of 
China,  who  lived  ages  before,  had  laid  down 
some  rules  of  conduct,  and  had  been  wor- 
shiped ever  since.  Very  good  rules  they 
were  as  far  as  they  went,  and  if  the  Chinese 
had  followed  this  wise  man  they  would  not 
have  drifted  so  far  from  the  truth.  But 
Confucianism  meant  ancestor-worship.  In 
every  home  was  a  little  tablet  with  the  names 


'7a    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

of  the  family's  ancestors  upon  it,  and  every 
one  in  the  house  worshiped  the  spirits  of 
those  departed.  With  this  was  another  re- 
ligion called  Taoism.  This  taught  belief  in 
wicked  demons  who  lurked  about  people 
ready  to  do  them  some  ill.  Then,  years  and 
years  before,  some  people  from  India  had 
brought  over  their  religion.  Buddhism, 
which  had  become  a  system  of  idol-worship. 
These  three  religions  were  so  mixed  up  that 
the  people  themselves  were  not  able  to  dis- 
tinguish between  them.  The  names  of  their 
idols  would  cover  pages,  and  an  account  of 
their  religion  would  fill  volumes.  The  more 
Mackay  learned  of  it,  the  more  he  yearned 
to  tell  the  people  of  the  one  God  who  was 
Lord  and  Father  of  them  all. 

As  soon  as  he  had  learned  to  write  clearly, 
he  bought  a  large  sheet  of  paper,  and 
printed  on  it  the  ten  commandments  in  Chi- 
nese characters.  Then  he  hung  it  on  the  out- 
side of  his  door.  People  who  passed  read 
it  and  made  comments  of  various  kinds. 
Several  threw  mud  at  it,  and  at  last  a  proud 
^graduate,  who  came  striding  past,  his  silk 


BEGINNING    THE    SIEGE  73 

robes  rustling  grandly,  caught  the  paper  and 
tore  it  down.  Mackay  promptly  put  up  an- 
other. It  shared  the  fate  of  the  first.  Then 
he  put  up  a  third,  and  the  people  let  it  alone. 
Even  these  heathen  Chinese  were  beginning 
to  get  an  impression  of  the  dauntless  deter- 
mination of  the  man  with  whom  they  were 
to  get  much  better  acquainted. 

And  all  this  time,  while  he  was  studying 
and  working  and  arguing  with  the  heathen 
and  preaching  to  them,  the  young  mission- 
ary was  working  just  as  hard  at  something 
else;  something  into  which  he  was  putting 
as  much  energy  and  force  as  he  did  into 
learning  the  Chinese  language.  With  all 
his  might  and  main,  day  and  night,  he  was 
praying — praying  for  one  special  object. 
He  had  been  praying  for  this  long  before  he 
saw  Formosa.  He  was  pleading  with  God 
to  give  him,  as  his  first  convert,  a  young  man 
of  education.  And  so  he  was  always  on  the 
lookout  for  such,  as  he  preached  and  taught, 
and  never  once  did  he  cease  praying  that  he 
might  find  him. 

One  forenoon  he  was  sitting  at  his  books, 


74         BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

near  the  open  door,  when  a  visitor  stopped 
before  him.  It  was  a  fine-looking  young 
man,  well  dressed  and  with  all  the  unmis- 
takable signs  of  the  scholar.  He  had  none 
of  the  graduate's  proud  insolence,  however, 
for  when  Mackay  arose,  he  spoke  in  the  most 
gentlemanly  manner.  At  the  missionary's 
invitation  he  entered,  and  sat  down,  and 
the  two  chatted  pleasantly.  The  visitor 
seemed  interested  in  the  foreigner,  and  asked 
him  many  questions  that  showed  a  bright, 
intelligent  mind.  When  he  arose  to  go,  Mac- 
kay invited  him  to  come  again,  and  he  prom- 
ised he  would.  He  left  his  card,  a  strip  of 
pink  paper  about  three  inches  by  six;  the 
name  on  it  read  Giam  Cheng  Hoa.  Mackay 
was  very  much  interested  in  him,  he  was  so 
bright,  so  affable,  and  such  pleasant  com- 
pany. He  waited  anxiously  to  see  if  he 
would  return. 

At  the  appointed  hour  the  visitor  was  at 
the  door,  and  the  missionary  welcomed  him 
warmly.  The  second  visit  was  even  more 
pleasant  than  the  first.  And  Mackay  told 
his  guest  why  he  had  come  to  Formosa,  and 


1 

r 

>i 

A   HoA 
'this  was  his  man!" 


BEGINNING    THE    SIEGE  75 

of  Jesus  Christ  who  was  both  God  and  man 
and  who  had  come  to  the  earth  to  save  man- 
kind. 

The  young  man's  bright  eyes  were  fixed 
steadily  upon  the  missionary  as  he  talked, 
and  when  he  went  away  his  face  was  very 
thoughtful.  Mackay  sat  thinking  about  him 
long  after  he  had  left. 

He  had  met  many  graduates,  but  none 
had  impressed  him  as  had  this  youth,  with 
his  frank  face  and  his  kind,  genial  manner. 
There  was  something  too  about  the  young 
fellow,  he  felt,  that  marked  him  as  superior 
to  his  companions.  And  then  a  sudden  di- 
vine inspiration  flashed  into  the  lonely 
young  missionary's  heart.  This  was  Ms 
manl  This  was  the  man  for  whom  he  had 
been  praying.  The  stranger  had  as  yet 
shown  no  sign  of  conversion,  but  Mackay 
could  not  get  away  from  that  inspired 
thought.  And  that  night  he  could  not  sleep 
for  joy. 

In  a  day  or  two  the  young  man  returned. 
With  him  was  a  noted  graduate,  who  asked 
many  questions  about  the  new  religion.    The 


76    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

next  day  lie  came  again  with  six  graduates, 
who  argued  and  discussed. 

When  they  were  gone  Mackay  paced  up 
and  down  the  room  and  faced  the  serious 
situation  which  he  realized  he  was  in.  He 
saw  plainly  that  the  educated  men  of  the 
town  were  banded  together  to  beat  him  in 
argument.  And  with  all  his  energy  and 
desperate  determination  he  set  to  work  to 
be  ready  for  them. 

His  first  task  was  to  gain  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  Chinese  religions.  He 
had  already  learned  much  about  them,  both 
from  books  on  shipboard  and  since  he  had 
come  to  the  island.  But  now  he  spent  long 
hours  of  the  night,  poring  over  the  books  of 
Confucianism,  Buddhism,  and  Taoism,  by 
the  light  of  his  smoky  little  pewter  lamp. 
And  before  the  next  visit  of  his  enemies  he 
knew  almost  more  of  their  jumble  of  relig- 
ions than  they  did  themselves. 

It  was  well  he  was  prepared,  for  his  op- 
ponents came  down  upon  him  in  full  force. 
Every  day  a  band  of  college  graduates,  al- 
ways headed  by  Giam  Cheng  Hoa,  came  up 


BEGINNING   THE    SIEGE  TT 

from  the  town  to  the  missionary's  little  hut 
by  the  river,  and  for  hours  they  would  sit 
arguing  and  talking.  They  were  always  the 
most  noted  scholars  the  place  could  produce, 
but  in  spite  of  all  their  cleverness  the  bar- 
barian teacher  silenced  them  every  time. 
He  fairly  took  the  wind  out  of  their  sails 
by  showing  he  knew  quite  as  much  about 
Chinese  religions  as  they  did.  If  they 
quoted  Confucius  to  contradict  the  Bible, 
he  would  quote  Confucius  to  contradict 
them.  He  confounded  them  by  proving  that^ 
they  were  not  really  followers  of  Confucius, 
for  they  did  not  keep  his  sayings.  And 
with  unanswerable  arguments  he  went  on  to 
show  that  the  religion  taught  by  Jesus  Christ 
was  the  one  and  only  religion  to  make  man 
good  and  noble. 

Each  day  the  group  of  visitors  grew 
larger,  and  at  last  one  morning,  as  Mackay^ 
looked  out  of  his  door,  he  saw  quite  a  crowd 
approaching.  They  were  led,  as  usual,  b^ 
the  friendly  young  scholar.  By  his  side 
walked,  or  rather,  swaggered  a  man  of  whom 
the  missionary  had  often  heard.    He  was  a 


78    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

scholar  of  high  degree  and  was  famed  all 
over  Formosa  for  his  great  learning.  Be- 
hind him  came  about  twenty  men,  and  Mac- 
kay  could  see  by  their  dress  and  appearance 
that  they  were  all  literary  graduates.  They 
were  coming  in  great  force  this  time,  to 
crush  the  barbarian  with  their  combined 
knowledge.  He  met  them  at  the  door  with 
his  usual  politeness  and  hospitality.  He 
was  always  courteous  to  these  proud  literati, 
but  he  always  treated  them  as  equals,  and 
showed  none  of  the  deference  they  felt  he 
owed  them.  The  crowd  seated  itself  on  im- 
provised benches  and  the  argument  opened. 

This  time  Mackay  led  the  attack.  He  car- 
ried the  war  right  into  the  enemy's  camp. 
Instead  of  letting  them  put  questions  to  him, 
he  asked  them  question  after  question  con- 
cerning Confucianism,  Buddhism,  and  Tao- 
ism. They  were  questions  that  sometimes 
they  could  not  answer,  and  to  their  chagrin 
they  had  to  hear  ^Hhe  barbarian"  answer 
for  them.  There  were  other  questions,  still 
more  humiliating,  which,  when  they  an- 
swered, only  served  to  show  their  religion 


BEGINNING    THE    SIEGE  79 

^as  false  and  degrading.  Their  spokesman, 
the  great  learned  man,  became  at  last  so 
entangled  that  there  was  nothing  for  him 
but  flight.  He  arose  and  stalked  angrily 
away,  and  in  a  little  while  they  all  left. 
Mackay  looked  wistfully  at  young  Giam  as 
he  went  out,  wondering  what  effect  these 
words  had  upon  him. 

He  was  not  left  long  in  doubt.  Not  half 
an  hour  after  a  shadow  fell  across  the  open 
Bible  the  missionary  was  studying.  He 
glanced  up.  There  he  stood!  His  bright 
face  was  very  serious.  He  looked  gravely 
at  the  other  young  man,  and  his  eyes  shone 
as  he  spoke. 

**I  brought  all  those  graduates  and  teach- 
ers here,"  he  confessed,  ^^to  silence  you  or 
be  silenced.  And  now  I  am  convinced  that 
the  doctrines  you  teach  are  true.  I  am  de- 
termined to  become  a  Christian,  even  though 
I  suffer  death  for  it." 

Mackay  rose  from  his  seat,  his  face  alight 
with  an  overwhelming  joy.  The  man  he  had 
prayed  for!  He  took  the  young  fellow's 
hand — speechless.     And  together  the  only 


80    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

missionary  of  north  Formosa  and  his  first 
convert  fell  upon  their  knees  before  the  true 
God  and  poured  out  their  hearts  in  joy  and 
thanksgiving. 


SOLDIERS   TWO 


CHAPTER  V 

SOLDIERS  TWO 

AND  now  a  new  day  dawned  for  the 
lonely  young  missionary.  He  had  not 
only  a  convert  but  a  helper  and  a  delightful 
companion.  His  new  friend  was  of  a  bright, 
joyous  nature,  the  sort  that  everybody  loves. 
Giam  was  his  surname,  but  almost  every  one 
called  him  by  his  given  name,  Hoa,  and  those 
who  knew  him  best  called  him  A  Hoa.  Mac- 
kay  used  this  more  familiar  boyish  name, 
for  Giam  was  the  younger  by  a  few  years. 

To  A  Hoa  his  new  friend  was  always  Pas- 
tor Mackay,  or  as  the  Chinese  put  it,  Mac- 
kay  Pastor,  Kai  Bok-su  was  the  real  Chi- 
nese of  it,  and  Kai  Bok-su  soon  became  a 
name  known  all  over  the  island  of  Formosa. 

A  Hoa  needed  all  his  kind  new  friend's 
help  in  the  first  days  after  his  conversion. 
For  family,  relatives,  and  friends  turned 

83 


84    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

upon  him  with  the  bitterest  hatred  for  tak- 
ing up  the  barbarian's  religion.  So,  driven 
from  his  friends,  he  came  to  live  in  the  little 
hut  by  the  river  with  Mackay.  While  at 
home  these  two  read,  sang,  and  studied  to- 
gether all  the  day  long.  It  would  have  been 
hard  for  an  observer  to  guess  who  was 
teacher  and  who  pupil.  For  at  one  time  A 
Hoa  was  receiving  Bible  instruction  and 
the  next  time  Mackay  was  being  drilled  in 
the  Chinese  of  the  educated  classes.  Each 
teacher  was  as  eager  to  instruct  as  each  pu- 
pil was  eager  to  learn. 

The  Bible  was,  of  course,  the  chief  text- 
book, but  they  studied  other  things,  astron- 
omy, geology,  history,  and  similar  subjects. 
One  day  the  Canadian  took  out  a  map  of  the 
world,  and  the  Chinese  gazed  with  amaze- 
ment at  the  sight  of  the  many  large  coun- 
tries outside  China.  A  Hoa  had  been  pri- 
vate secretary  to  a  mandarin,  and  had  trav- 
eled much  in  China,  and  once  spent  six 
months  in  Peking.  His  idea  had  been  that 
China  was  everything,  that  all  countries  out- 
side  it   were   but   insignificant   barbarian 


SOLDIERS   TWO  85 

places.  His  geography  lessons  were  like  rev- 
elations. 

His  progress  was  simply  astonishing,  as 
was  also  Mackay's.  The  two  seemed  pos- 
sessed with  the  spirit  of  hard  work.  But  a 
superstitious  old  man  who  lived  near  be- 
lieved they  were  possessed  with  a  demon; 
He  often  listened  to  the  two  singing,  drill- 
ing, and  repeating  words  as  they  marched 
up  and  down,  either  in  the  house  or  in  front 
of  it,  and  he  became  alarmed.  He  was  a 
kindly  old  fellow,  and,  though  a  heathen,  felt 
well  disposed  toward  the  missionary  and  A 
Hoa.  So  one  day,  very  much  afraid,  he 
slipped  over  to  the  little  house  with  two 
small  cups  of  strong  tea.  He  came  to  the 
door  and  proffered  them  with  a  polite  bow. 
He  hoped  they  might  prove  soothing  to  the 
disturbed  nerves  of  the  patients,  he  said. 
He  suggested,  also,  that  a  visit  to  the  near- 
est temple  might  help  them. 

The  two  affected  ones  received  his  advice 
politely,  but  the  humor  of  it  struck  them 
both,  and  when  their  visitor  was  gone  they 
laughed  so  hard  the  tea  nearly  choked  them. 


86    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

The  missionary  was  soon  able  to  speak  so 
fluently  that  he  preached  almost  every  day, 
either  in  the  little  house  by  the  river,  or  on 
the  street  in  some  open  square.  There  w^re 
other  things  he  did,  too.  On  every  side  he 
saw  great  suffering  from  disease.  The  chief 
malady  was  the  terrible  malaria,  and  the  na- 
tive doctors  with  their  ridiculous  remedies 
only  made  the  poor  sufferers  worse.  Mac- 
kay  had  studied  medicine  for  a  short  time 
while  in  college,  and  now  found  his  knowl- 
edge very  useful.  He  gave  some  simple 
remedies  to  several  victims  of  malaria  which 
proved  effective.  The  news  of  the  cures 
spread  far  and  wide.  The  barbarian  was 
kind,  he  had  a  good  heart,  the  people  de- 
clared. Many  more  came  to  him  for  medi- 
cine, and  day  by  day  the  circle  of  his  friends 
grew.  And  wherever  he  went,  curing  dis- 
ease, teaching,  or  preaching,  A  Hoa  went 
with  him,  and  shared  with  him  the  taunts 
of  their  heathen  enemies. 

But  the  gospel  was  gradually  making  its 
way.  Not  long  after  A  Hoa's  conversion  a 
second  man  confessed  Christ.    He  had  pre- 


SOLDIERS   TWO  87 

viously  disturbed  the  meetings  by  throwing 
stones  into  the  doorway  whenever  he  passed. 
But  his  sister  was  cured  of  malaria  by  the 
missionary's  medicine,  and  soon  both  sister 
and  mother  became  Christians,  and  finally 
the  stone-thrower  himself.  And  so,  gradu- 
ally, the  lines  of  the  enemy  were  falling 
back,  and  at  every  sign  of  retreat  the  little 
army  of  two  advanced.  A  little  army  ?  No ! 
For  was  there  not  the  whole  host  of  heaven 
moving  with  them  ?  And  Mackay  was  learn- 
ing that  his  boyish  dreams  of  glory  were 
truly  to  be  fulfilled.  He  had  wanted  always 
to  be  a  soldier  like  his  grandfather,  and 
fight  a  great  Waterloo,  and  here  he  was 
right  in  the  midst  of  the  battle  with  the  vic- 
tory and  the  glory  sure. 

The  two  missionaries  often  went  on  short 
trips  here  and  there  into  the  country  around 
Tamsui,  and  Mackay  determined  that  when 
the  intense  summer  heat  had  lessened  they 
would  make  a  long  tour  to  some  of  the  large 
cities.  The  heat  of  August  was  almost  over- 
powering to  the  Canadian.  Flies  and  mos- 
quitoes and  insect  pests  of  all  kinds  made 


:88    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

Ms  life  miserable,  too,  and  prevented  Ms 
.studying  as  hard  as  he  wished. 

One  oppressive  day  he  and  A  Hoa  re- 
turned from  a  preaching  tour  in  the  coun- 
try to  find  their  home  in  a  state  of  siege. 
Right  across  the  threshold  lay  a  monster 
.serpent,  eight  feet  in  length.  A  Hoa  shouted 
a  warning,  and  seized  a  long  pole,  and  the 
two  managed  to  kill  it.  But  their  troubles 
were  not  yet  over.  The  next  morning,  Mac- 
kay  stepped  outside  the  door  and  sprang 
back  just  in  time  to  escape  another,  the 
mate  of  the  one  killed.  This  one  was  even 
larger  than  the  first,  and  was  very  fierce. 
But  they  finished  it  with  sticks  and  stones. 

When  September  came  the  days  grew 
clearer,  and  the  many  pests  of  summer  were 
not  so  numerous.  The  mosquitoes  and  flies 
that  had  been  such  torments  disappeared, 
and  there  was  some  relief  from  the  damp  op- 
pressive heat.  But  he  had  only  begun  to 
enjoy  the  refreshing  breaths  of  cool  air,  and 
had  remarked  to  A  Hoa  that  the  days  re- 
minded him  of  Canadian  summers,  when  the 
weather  gave  him  to  understand  that  every 


^ 


SOLDIERS   TWO  89 

Pormosan  season  has  its  drawbacks.  Sep- 
tember brought  tropical  storms  and  ty- 
phoons that  were  terrible,  and  he  saw  from 
his  little  house  on  the  hillside  big  trees  torn 
up  by  the  root,  buildings  swept  away  like 
chaff,  and  out  in  the  harbor  great  ships 
lifted  from  their  anchorage  and  whirled 
away  to  destruction.  And  then  he  was  some- 
times thankful  that  his  little  hut  was  built 
into  the  hillside,  solid  and  secure. 

But  the  fierce  storms  cleared  away  the 
heavy  dampness  that  had  made  the  heat  of 
the  summer  so  unbearable,  and  October  and 
November  brought  delightful  days.  The 
weather  was  still  warm  of  course,  but  the 
nights  were  cool  and  pleasant. 

So  early  one  October  morning,  Mackay 
and  A  Hoa  started  off  on  a  tour  to  the  cities. 

^^We  shall  go  to  Kelung  first,"  said  the 
missionary.  Kelung  was  a  seaport  city  on 
the  northern  coast,  straight  east  across  the 
island  from  Tamsui.  A  coolie  to  carry  food 
and  clothing  was  hired,  and  early  in  the 
morning,  while  the  stars  were  still  shining, 
they  passed  through  the  sleeping  town  and 


90        BLACK   BEARDED   BARBAHIAN 

out  on  the  little  paths  between  the  rice-fields. 

Though  it  was  yet  scarcely  daylight,  the 
farmers  were  already  in  their  fields.  It  was 
harvest-time — ^the  second  harvest  of  the  year 
— and  the  little  rice-fields  were  no  longer 
like  mirrors,  but  were  filled  with  high  rus- 
tling grain  ready  for  the  sickle.  The  water 
had  been  drained  off  and  the  reaper  and 
thrasher  were  going  through  the  fields  be- 
fore dawn.  There  was  no  machinery  like 
that  used  at  home.  The  reaper  was  a  short 
sickle,  the  thrashing-machine  a  kind  of 
portable  tub,  and  Mackay  looked  at  them 
with  some  amusement,  and  described  to  A 
Hoa  how  they  took  off  the  great  wheat  crops 
in  western  Canada. 

The  two  were  in  high  spirits,  ready  for 
any  sort  of  adventure  and  they  met  some. 
Toward  evening  they  reached  a  place  called 
Sek-khau,  and  went  to  the  little  brick  inn  to 
get  a  sleeping-place.  The  landlord  came  to 
the  door  and  was  about  to  bid  A  Hoa  enter, 
when  the  light  fell  upon  Mackay 's  face. 
With  a  shout,  ^^Black-bearded  barbarian!'' 
he  slammed  the  door  in  their  faces.     They 


SOLDIERS  TWO  91 

turned  away,  but  already  a  crowd  had  begun 
to  gather.  '^The  black-bearded  barbarian  is 
here!  The  foreign  devil  from  Tamsui  has 
come!"  was  the  cry.  The  mob  followed  the 
two  down  the  streets,  shouting  curses.  Some 
one  threw  a  broken  piece  of  brick,  another 
a  stone.  Mackay  turned  and  faced  them, 
and  for  a  few  moments  they  seemed  cowed. 
But  the  crowd  was  increasing,  and  he 
deemed  it  wise  to  move  on.  So  the  two 
marched  out  of  the  town  followed  by  stones 
and  curses.  And,  as  they  went,  Mackay  re- 
minded A  Hoa  of  what  they  had  been  read- 
ing the  night  before. 

' '  Yes, ' '  said  A  Hoa  brightly.  ' '  The  Lord 
Jesus  was  driven  out  of  his  own  town  in 
Galilee." 

*'Yes,  and  Paul — you  remember  how  he 
was  stoned.  Our  Master  counts  us  worthy 
to  suffer  for  him." 

But  where  to  go  was  the  question.  Before 
they  could  decide,  night  came  down  upon 
them,  and  it  came  in  that  sudden  tropical 
way  to  which  Mackay,  all  his  life  accus- 
tomed to  the  long  mellow  twilights  of  his 


9^    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

northern  home,  could  never  grow  accus- 
tomed. They  each  took  a  torch  out  of  the 
carrier's  bag,  lighted  it,  and  marched  bravely 
on.  The  path  led  along  the  Kelung  river, 
through  tall  grass.  They  were  not  sure 
where  it  led  to,  but  thought  it  wise  to  follow 
the  river ;  they  would  surely  come  to  Kelung 
some  time.  Mackay  was  ahead,  A  Hoa  right 
at  his  heels,  and  behind  them  the  basket- 
bearer.  At  a  sudden  turn  in  the  path  A  Hoa 
gave  a  shout  of  warning,  and  the  next  in- 
stant, a  band  of  robbers  leaped  from  the 
long  reeds  and  grass,  and  brandished  their 
spears  in  the  travelers'  faces.  The  torch- 
light shone  on  their  fierce  evil  eyes  and  their 
long  knives,  making  a  horrible  picture.  The 
young  Canadian  Scot  did  not  flinch  for  a 
second.  He  looked  the  wild  leader  straight 
in  the  face. 

'^We  have  no  money,  so  you  cannot  rob 
us,"  he  said  steadily,  **and  you  must  let  us 
pass  at  once.    I  am  a  teacher  and " 

**  A  teacher !''  he  was  interrupted  by  a  dis- 
mayed exclamation  from  several  of  the  wild 
band.    **A  teacher!"    As  if  with  one  accord 


SOLDIERS   TWO  9^ 

they  turned  and  fled  into  the  darkness.  For 
even  a  highwayman  in  China  respects  a  man- 
of  learning.  The  travelers  went  on  again, 
with  something  of  relief  and  something  of 
the  exultation  that  youth  feels  in  having' 
faced  danger.  But  a  second  trouble  was 
upon  them.  One  of  those  terrible  storms- 
that  still  raged  occasionally  had  been  brew- 
ing all  evening,  and  now  it  opened  its  ar- 
tillery. Great  howling  gusts  came  down 
from  the  mountain,  carrying  sheets  of  driv- 
ing rain.  Their  torches  went  out  like^ 
matches,  and  they  were  left  to  stagger  along 
in  the  black  darkness.  What  were  they  to 
do?  They  could  not  go  back.  They  could 
not  stay  there.  They  scarcely  dared  go  on.- 
For  they  did  not  know  the  way,  and  any 
moment  a  fresh  blast  of  wind  or  a  misstep 
might  hurl  them  into  the  river.  But  they 
decided  that  they  must  go  on,  and  on  they 
went,  stumbling,  slipping,  sprawling,  and 
falling  outright.  Now  there  would  be  art 
exclamation  from  Mackay  as  he  sank  to  the 
knees  in  the  mud  of  a  rice-field,  now  a  groart 
from  A  Hoa  as  he  fell  over  a  boulder  and 


94    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

bruised  and  scratched  himself,  and  of tenest 
a  yell  from  the  poor  coolie,  as  he  slipped, 
baskets  and  all,  into  some  rocky  crevice,  and 
was  sure  he  was  tumbling  into  the  river ;  but 
they  staggered  on,  Mackay  secure  in  his  faith 
in  God.  His  Father  knew  and  his  Father 
would  keep  him  safely.  And  behind  him 
came  brave  young  A  Hoa,  buoyed  up  by  his 
new  growing  faith,  and  learning  the  lesson 
that  sometimes  the  Captain  asks  his  soldier 
to  march  into  hard  encounters,  but  that  the 
soldier  must  never  flinch. 

The  ^^everlasting  arms"  were  around 
them,  for  by  midnight  they  reached  Kelung. 
They  were  drenched,  breathless,  and  worn 
out,  and  they  spent  the  night  in  a  damp 
hovel,  glad  of  any  shelter  from  the  wind  and 
rain. 

But  the  next  morning,  young  soldier  A 
Hoa  had  a  fiercer  battle  to  fight  than  any 
with  robbers  or  storms.  As  soon  as  the  city 
was  astir,  Mackay  and  he  went  out  to  find 
a  good  place  to  preach.  They  passed  down 
the  main  thoroughfare,  and  everywhere  they 
attracted  attention.     Cries  of  ^'IJgly  bar- 


SOLDIERS   TWO  95 

barian!"  and  oftenest  '*  Black-bearded  bar- 
barian" were  heard  on  all  sides.  A  Hoa 
was  known  in  Kelung  and  contempt  and  rid- 
icule was  heaped  upon  him  by  his  old  college 
acquaintances.  He  was  consorting  with  the 
barbarian!  He  was  a  friend  of  this  for- 
eigner! They  poured  more  insults  upon 
him  than  they  did  upon  the  barbarian  him- 
self. Some  took  the  stranger  as  a  joke,  and 
laughed  and  made  funny  remarks  upon  his 
appearance.  Here  and  there  an  old  woman, 
peeping  through  the  doorway,  would  utter  a 
loud  cackling  laugh,  and  pointing  a  wizened 
finger  at  the  missionary  would  cry:  *^Eh, 
eh,  look  at  him !  Tee  hee !  He 's  got  a  wash- 
basin on  for  a  hat!"  A  Hoa  was  distressed 
at  these  remarks,  but  Mackay  was  highly 
amused. 

^^We're  drawing  a  crowd,  anj^way,"  he 
remarked  cheerfully,  *^and  that's  what  we 
want." 

Soon  they  came  to  an  open  square  in  front 
of  a  heathen  temple.  The  building  had  sev- 
eral large  stone  steps  leading  up  to  the  door. 
Mackay  mounted  them  and  stood  facing  the 


96    BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

buzzing  crowd,  with  A  Hoa  at  his  side. 
They  started  a  hymn : 

All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell 
Sing  to  the  Lord  with  cheerful  voice. 

The  open  square  in  front  of  them  began  to 
fill  rapidly.  The  people  jostled  each  other 
in  their  endeavors  to  get  a  view  of  the  bar- 
barian. Every  one  was  curious,  but  every 
one  was  angry  and  indignant,  so  sometimes 
the  sound  of  the  singing  was  lost  in  the 
shouts  of  derision. 

When  the  hymn  was  finished,  Mackay 
had  a  sudden  inspiration.  * '  They  will  surely 
listen  to  one  of  their  own  people,"  he  said  to 
himself,  and  turned  to  A  Hoa. 

''Speak  to  them,"  he  said.  ''TeU  them 
about  the  true  God." 

That  was  a  hard  moment  for  the  young 
convert.  He  had  been  a  Christian  only  a 
few  months  and  had  never  yet  spoken  in 
public  for  Christ.  He  looked  desperately 
over  the  sea  of  mocking  faces  beneath  him. 
He  opened  his  mouth,  as  though  to  speak, 
and  hesitated.    Just  then  came  a  rough  and 


SOLDIERS  TWO  97 

bitter  taunt  from  one  of  Ms  old  companions. 
It  was  too  much.  A  Hoa  turned  away  and 
hung  his  head. 

The  young  missionary  said  nothing.  But 
he  did  the  very  wisest  thing  he  could  have 
done.  He  had  some  time  before  taught  A 
Hoa  a  grand  old  Scottish  paraphrase,  and 
they  had  often  sung  it  together : 

I'm  not  ashamed  to  o^n  my  Lord 

Or  to  defend  his  cause, 
Maintain  the  glory  of  his  cross 

And  honor  all  his  laws. 

Mackay's  voice,  loud  and  clear,  burst  into 
this  fine  old  hymn.  A  Hoa  raised  his  head. 
He  joined  in  the  hymn  and  sang  it  to  the 
end.  It  put  mettle  into  him.  It  was  the 
battle-song  that  brought  back  the  young  re- 
cruit's courage.  Almost  before  the  last  note 
sounded  he  began  to  speak.  His  voice  rang 
out  bold  and  unafraid  over  the  crowd  of  an- 
gry heathen. 

'^I  am  a  Christian!"  he  said  distinctly. 
**I  worship  the  true  God.  I  cannot  worship 
idols,"  with  a  gesture  toward  the  temple 


98   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

door,  ''that  rats  can  destroy.  I  am  not 
afraid.  I  love  Jesus.  He  is  my  Savior  and 
Friend." 

No,  A  Hoa  was  not  '* ashamed"  any  more. 
His  testing  time  had  come,  and  he  had  not 
failed  after  all.  And  his  brave,  true  words 
sent  a  thrill  of  joy  through  the  more  sea- 
soned soldier  at  his  side. 

That  was  not  the  only  difficult  situation 
he  met  on  that  journey.  The  two  soldiers 
of  the  cross  had  many  trials,  but  the  thrill 
of  that  victory  before  the  Kelung  temple 
never  left  them. 

When  they  returned  to  Tamsui  they  held 
daily  services  in  their  house,  and  A  Hoa 
oft^n  spoke  to  the  people  who  gathered 
there. 

One  Sunday  they  noticed  an  old  woman 
present,  who  had  come  down  the  river  in  a 
boat.  Women  as  a  rule  did  not  come  out  to 
the  meetings,  but  this  old  lady  continued  to 
come  every  Sunday.  She  showed  great  in- 
terest in  the  missionary's  words,  and,  at  the 
close  of  one  meeting,  he  spoke  to  her.  She 
told  him  she  was  a  poor  widow,  that  her 


SOLDIERS   TWO  ^9 

name  was  Thah-so,  and  that  she  had  come 
down  the  river  from  Go-ko-khi  to  hear  him 
preach.  Then  she  added,  ^*I  have  passed 
through  many  trials  in  this  world,  and  my 
idols  never  gave  me  any  comfort."  Then 
her  eyes  shone,  *'But  I  like  your  teaching 
very  much,"  she  went  on.  *'I  believe  the 
God  you  tell  about  will  give  me  peace*  I 
will  come  again,  and  bring  others." 

Next  Sunday  she  was  there  with  several 
other  women.  And  after  that  she  came 
every  Sunday,  bringing  more  each  time, 
until  at  last  a  whole  boat-load  would  come 
down  to  the  service. 

These  people  were  so  interested  that  they 
asked  the  missionary  if  he  would  not  visit 
them.  So  one  day  he  and  A  Hoa  boarded 
one  of  the  queer-looking  flat-bottomed  river 
boats  and  were  pulled  up  the  rapids  to  Go- 
ko-khi.  Every  village  in  Formosa  had  its 
headman,  who  is  virtually  the  ruler  of  the 
place.  When  the  boat  landed,  many  of  the 
villagers  were  at  the  shore  to  meet  their  vis* 
itors  and  took  them  at  once  to  their  mayor's 
house,  the  best  building  in  the  village.    Tan 


100   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

Paugh,  a  fine,  big,  powerfully-built  man,  re- 
ceived them  cordially.  He  frankly  declared 
that  he  was  tired  and  sick  of  idols  and 
wanted  to  hear  more  of  this  new  religion. 
An  empty  granary  was  obtained  for  both 
church  and  home,  and  the  missionary  and 
his  assistant  took  up  their  quarters  there, 
and  for  several  months  they  remained, 
preaching  and  teaching  the  Bible  either  in 
Go-ho-khi,  or  in  the  lovely  surrounding  val- 
leys. 


THE   GEEAT   KAI   BOK-SU 


CHAPTEE  VI 

THE   GREAT   KAI  BOK-SU 

THE  missionary  was  now  becoming  a  fa- 
miliar figure  both  in  Tamsui  and  in  the 
surrounding  country.  By  many  he  was 
loved,  by  all  he  was  respected,  but  by  a 
large  number  he  was  bitterly  hated.  The 
scholars  continued  his  worst  enemies.  They 
could  never  forgive  him  for  beating  them  so 
completely  in  argument,  in  the  days  when 
A  Hoa  was  striving  for  the  light,  and  their 
hatred  increased  as  they  saw  other  scholars 
becoming  Christians  under  his  teaching. 
There  was  something  about  him,  however, 
that  compelled  their  respect  and  even  their 
admiration.  Wherever  they  met  him — on 
the  street,  by  their  temples,  or  on  the  coun- 
try roads — ^he  bore  himself  in  such  a  way  as 
to  make  them  confess  that  he  was  their  su- 
perior both  in  ability  and  knowledge. 

103 


104   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

These  CMnese  literati  had  a  custom  which 
Mackay  found  very  interesting.  One  proud 
scholar  marching  down  the  street  and 
scarcely  noticing  the  obsequious  bows  of  his 
inferiors,  would  meet  another  equally  proud 
scholar.  Each  would  salute  the  other  in  an 
exceedingly  grand  manner,  and  then  one 
would  spin  off  a  quotation  from  the  writings 
of  Confucius  or  some  other  Chinese  sage 
and  say,  ^^Now  tell  me  where  that  is  found." 
And  scholar  number  two  had  to  ransack  his 
brains  to  remember  where  the  saying  was 
found,  or  else  confess  himself  beaten.  Mac- 
kay thought  it  might  be  a  good  habit  for  the 
graduates  of  his  own  alma  mater  across  the 
wide  sea  to  adopt.  He  wondered  what  some 
of  his  old  college  chums  would  think,  if, 
when  he  got  back  to  Canada,  he  should  but- 
tonhole one  on  the  street  some  day,  recite  a 
quotation  from  Shakespeare  or  Macaulay, 
and  demand  from  his  friend  where  it  could 
be  found.  He  had  a  suspicion  that  the  old 
friend  would  be  afraid  that  the  Oriental  sun 
had  touched  George  Mackay 's  brain. 

Nevertheless  he  thought  the  custom  one  he 


THE   GREAT  KAI  BOK-SU  105 

could  turn  to  good  account,  and  before  long 
he  was  trying  it  himself.  He  had  such  a 
wonderful  memory  that  he  never  forgot  any- 
thing he  had  once  read.  So  the  scholars  of 
north  Formosa  soon  discovered,  again  to 
their  humiliation,  that  this  Kai  Bok-su  of 
Tamsui  could  beat  them  at  their  own  game. 
They  did  not  care  how  much  he  might  pro- 
fess to  know  of  writers  and  lands  beyond 
China.  Such  were  only  barbarians  anyway. 
But  when,  right  before  a  crowd,  he  would 
display  a  surer  knowledge  of  the  Chinese 
classics  than  they  themselves,  they  began  not 
only  to  respect  but  to  fear  him.  It  was  no 
use  trying  to  humiliate  him  with  a  quotation. 
With  his  bright  eyes  flashing,  he  would  tell, 
without  a  moment's  hesitation,  where  it  was 
found  and  come  back  at  the  questioner 
swiftly  with  another,  most  probably  one 
long  forgotten,  and  reel  it  off  as  though  he 
had  studied  Chinese  all  his  life. 

He  was  a  wonderful  man  certainly,  they 
all  agreed,  and  one  whom  it  was  not  safe  to 
oppose.  The  common  people  liked  him  bet- 
ter every  day.    He  was  so  tactful,  so  kind, 


106      BLACK  BEARDED   BIVRBARIAN 

and  always  so  careful  not  to  arouse  the 
prejudice  of  the  heathen.  He  was  ex- 
tremely wise  in  dealing  with  their  supersti- 
tions. No  matter  how  absurd  or  childish 
they  might  be,  he  never  ridiculed  them,  but 
only  strove  to  show  the  people  how  much 
happier  they  might  be  if  they  believed  in 
Ood  as  their  Father  and  in  Jesus  Christ  as 
their  Savior.  He  never  made  light  of  any- 
thing sacred  to  the  Chinese  mind,  but  always 
tried  to  take  whatever  germ  of  good  he  could 
find  in  their  religion,  and  lead  on  from  it  to 
the  greater  good  found  in  Christianity.  He 
discovered  that  the  ancestral  worship  made 
the  younger  people  kind  and  respectful  to 
older  folk,  and  he  saw  that  Chinese  children 
reverenced  their  parents  and  elders  in  a  way 
that  he  felt  many  of  his  young  friends  across 
the  sea  would  do  well  to  copy. 

One  day  when  he  and  A  Hoa  were  out  on 
a  preaching  tour,  the  wise  Kai  Bok-su  made 
use  of  this  respect  for  parents  in  quieting  a 
mob.  He  and  his  comrade  were  standing 
side  by  side  on  the  steps  of  a  heathen  tem- 
ple as  they  had  done  at  Kelung.    The  angrj 


THE   GREAT  KAI  BOK-SU  lOT 

crowd  was  scowling  and  muttering,  ready  to 
throw  stones  as  soon  as  the  preacher  uttered 
a  word.  Mackay  knew  this,  and  when  they 
had  sung  a  hymn  and  the  people  waited^ 
ready  for  a  riot,  his  voice  rang  out  clear  and 
steady,  repeating  the  fifth  commandment^ 
^^  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother :  that  thy 
days  may  be  long  upon  the  land  which  the 
Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee."  A  silence  fell 
over  the  muttering  crowd,  and  an  old 
heathen  whose  cue  was  white  and  whose  aged 
hands  trembled  on  the  top  of  his  staffs 
nodded  his  head  and  said,  *^That  is  heavenly 
doctrine."  The  people  were  surprised  and 
disarmed.  If  the  black-bearded  barbarian 
taught  such  truths  as  this,  he  surely  was  not 
so  very  wicked  after  all.  And  so  they  lis- 
tened attentively  as  he  went  on  to  show  that 
they  had  all  one  great  Father,  even  God. 

He  sometimes  found  it  rather  a  task  to- 
treat  with  respect  that  which  the  Chinese 
held  sacred.  Especially  was  this  so  when  he 
discovered  to  his  amusement  and  to  some 
carefully  concealed  disgust,  that  in  the  Chi- 
nese family  the  pig  was  looked  upon  with  af- 


108   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

lection,  and  as  a  young  naval  officer,  who 
Tisited  Mackay  remarked,  ^*was  treated  like 
a  gentleman." 

Every  Chinese  house  of  any  size  was 
made  up  of  three  buildings  joined  together 
so  as  to  make  three  sides  of  an  enclosure. 
This  space  was  called  a  court,  and  a  door 
led  from  it  to  another  next  the  street.  In 
this  outer  yard  pigs  and  fowl  were  always 
to  be  found.  Whenever  the  missionary 
dropped  in  at  a  home,  mother  pig  and  all 
the  little  pigs  often  followed  him  inside  the 
house,  quite  like  members  of  the  family. 
Every  one  was  always  glad  to  see  Kai 
Bok-su,  pigs  and  all,  and  as  soon  as  he  ap- 
peared the  order  was  given — *^ Infuse  tea." 
And  when  the  little  handleless  cups  of  clear 
brown  liquid  were  passed  around  and  they 
all  drank  and  chatted,  Mrs.  Pig  and  her 
children  strolled  about  as  welcome  as  the 
guest. 

The  Chinese  would  allow  no  one  to  hurt 
their  pigs,  either.  One  day  as  Mackay  sat 
in  his  rooms  facing  the  river,  battling  with 
some  new  Chinese  characters,  he  heard  a 


THE   GREAT  KAI  BOK-SU  109 

great  hubbub  coining  up  the  street.  The 
threatening  mobs  that  used  to  surround  his 
house  had  long  ago  ceased  to  trouble  him. 
He  arose  in  some  surprise  and  went  to  the 
door  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  A  verjr 
unusual  sight  for  Tamsui  met  his  gaze. 
Coming  up  the  street  at  a  wild  run  were 
some  half-dozen  English  sailors,  their  loose 
blue  blouses  and  trousers  flapping  madly. 
They  were  evidently  from  a  ship  which  Mac- 
kay  had  s6en  l3dng  in  the  harbor  that  morn- 
ing. 

*^Give  us  a  gun!"  roared  the  foremost  as. 
soon  as  he  saw  the  missionary. 

Mackay  did  not  possess  a  gun,  and  would 
not  have  given  the  enraged  bluejacket  one 
had  he  owned  a  dozen.  But  the  Chinese 
mob,  roaring  with  fury,  were  coming  up  the 
street  after  the  men  and  he  swiftly  pointed 
out  a  narrow  alley  that  led  down  to  the  river, 
*'Run  down  there!"  he  shouted  to  the 
sailors.  ^^You  can  get  to  your  boats  before 
they  find  you." 

They  were  gone  in  an  instant,  and  the 
next  moment  the  crowd  of  pursuers  were 


110      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

storming  about  the  door  demanding  whither 
the  enemy  had  disappeared. 

*^What  is  all  this  disturbance  about?"  de- 
manded Kai  Bok-su  calmly,  glad  of  an  op- 
portunity to  gain  time  for  the  fleeing  sailors. 

The  aggrieved  Chinese  gathered  about 
him,  each  telling  the  story  as  loud  as  his 
voice  would  permit.  Those  barbarians  of 
the  sea  had  come  swaggering  along  the 
streets  waving  their  big  sticks.  And  they 
had  dared — yes  actuallj^  dared — to  hit  the 
pet  pigs  belonging  to  every  house  as  they 
passed.  The  poor  pigs  who  lay  sunning 
themselves  at  the  door ! 

This  was  indeed  a  serious  offense.  Mac- 
kay  could  picture  the  rollicking  sailor-lads 
gaily  whacking  the  lazy  porkers  with  their 
canes  as  they  passed,  happily  unconscious  of 
the  trouble  they  were  raising.  But  there  was 
no  amusement  in  Kai  Bok-su 's  grave  face. 
He  spoke  kindly,  and  soothingly,  and  prom- 
ised that  if  the  offenders  misbehaved  again 
he  would  complain  to  the  authorities.  That 
made  it  all  right.  Heathen  though  they 
were,    they   knew   Kai   Bok-su 's    promise 


THE   GREAT  KAI  BOK-SU  111 

would  not  be  broken,  and  away  they  went 
quite  satisfied. 

One  day  be  learned,  quite  by  accident,  a 
new  and  very  useful  way  of  helping  his  peo- 
ple. He  and  A  Hoa  and  several  other  young 
men  who  had  become  Christians,  went  on  a 
missionary  tour  to  Tek-chham,  a  large  city 
which  he  had  visited  once  before. 

On  the  day  they  left  the  place,  Kai  Bok- 
su's  preaching  had  drawn  such  crowds  that 
the  authorities  of  the  city  became  afraid  of 
him.  And  when  the  little  party  left,  a  dozen 
soldiers  were  sent  to  follow  the  dangerous 
barbarian  and  his  students  and  see  that  they 
did  not  bewitch  the  people  on  the  road. 

The  soldiers  tramped  along  after  the  mis- 
sionary party,  and  with  his  usual  ability  to 
make  use  of  any  situation,  Mackay  stepped 
back  and  chatted  with  his  spies.  He  found 
one  poor  fellow  in  agony  with  the  toothache. 
This  malady  was  very  common  in  north  For- 
mosa, partly  owing  to  the  habit  of  chewing 
the  betel-nut.  He  examined  the  aching  tooth 
and  found  it  badly  decayed.  ^^  There  is  a 
worm  in  it,"  the  soldier  said,  for  the  For- 


lis      BLACK  BEARDED   BARBARIAN 


mosan  doctors  had  taught  the  people  this 
was  the  cause  of  toothache. 

Mackay  had  no  forceps,  but  he  knew  how 
to  pull  a  tooth,  and  he  was  not  the  sort  to 
be  daunted  by  the  lack  of  tools.  He  got  a 
piece  of  hard  wood,  whittled  it  into  shape 
and  with  it  pried  out  the  tooth.  The  relief 
from  pain  was  so  great  that  the  soldier  al- 
most wept  for  joy  and  overwhelmed  the 
tooth-puller  with  gratitude.  And  for  the  re- 
mainder of  the  journey  the  guards  sent  to 
spy  on  the  missionary's  doings  were  his 
warmest  friends. 

After  this,  dentistry  became  a  part  of  this 
many-sided  missionary's  work.  He  went  to 
a  native  blacksmith  and  had  a  pair  of  for- 
ceps hammered  out  of  iron.  It  was  a  rather 
clumsy  instrument,  but  it  proved  of  great 
value,  and  later  he  sent  for  a  complete  set 
of  the  best  instruments  made  in  New  York. 

So  with  forceps  in  one  hand  and  the  Bible 
in  the  other,  Mackay  found  himself  doubly 
equipped.  Every  second  person  seemed  to 
be  suffering  from  toothache,  and  when  the 
pain  was  relieved  by  the  missionary,  the 


\ 


.^*L 


^  7 


.    i5 

'3lfc-  •>"*^(%'"^>*»  -«^                                -^Si'       !'»P»IU, 

r^^'^^    ^^V^I^IhI 

c    •  ."«    c 


THE   GREAT  KAI  BOK-SU  US 

patient  was  in  a  state  of  mind  to  receive  Ms 
teaching  kindly.  The  cruel  methods  by 
which  the  native  doctors  extracted  teeth 
often  caused  more  suffering  than  the  tooth- 
ache, and  sometimes  even*  resulted  in  death 
through  blood-poisoning. 

A  Hoa  and  some  of  the  other  young  con- 
verts learned  from  their  teacher  how  to  pull 
a  tooth,  and  they,  too,  became  experts  in  the 
art. 

Whenever  they  visited  a  town  or  city 
after  this,  they  had  a  program  which  they 
always  followed.  First  they  would  place 
themselves  in  front  of  an  idol  temple  or  in 
an  open  square.  Here  they  would  sing  a 
hymn  which  always  attracted  a  crowd.  Next, 
any  one  who  wanted  a  tooth  pulled  was  in- 
vited to  come  forward.  Many  accepted  the 
invitation  gladly  and  sometimes  a  long  line 
of  twenty  or  thirty  would  be  waiting,  each 
his  turn.  The  Chinese  had  considerable 
nerve,  the  Canadian  discovered,  and  stood 
the  pain  bravely.  They  literally  ^* stood"  it, 
too,  for  there  was  no  dentist's  chair  and 
every  man  stood  up  for  his  operation,  very 


114      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

much  pleased  and  very  grateful  when  it  was 
over.  Then  there  were  quinine  and  other 
simple  remedies  for  malaria  handed  round, 
for  in  a  Formosan  crowd  there  were  often 
many  shaking  in  the  grip  of  this  terrible 
disease.  And  now,  having  opened  the  peo- 
ple's hearts  by  his  kindness,  Kai  Bok-s|L 
brought  forth  his  cure  for  souls.  He  would 
mount  the  steps  of  the  temple  or  stand  on  a 
box  or  stone,  and  tell  the  wonderful  old  story 
of  the  man  Jesus  who  was  also  God,  and 
who  said  to  all  sick  and  weary  and  troubled 
ones,  **Come  imto  me,  .  .  .  and  I  will 
give  you  rest. ' '  And  often,  when  he  had  fin- 
ished, the  disease  of  sin  in  many  a  heart  was 
cured  by  the  remedy  of  the  gospel. 

And  so  the  autumn  passed  away  happily 
and  busily,  and  Mackay  entered  his  first  For- 
mosan winter.  And  such  a  winter!  The 
young  man  who  had  felt  the  clear,  bright 
cold  of  a  Canadian  January  needed  all  his 
fine  courage  to  bear  up  under  its  dreariness. 
It  started  about  Christmas  time.  Just  when 
his  own  people  far  away  in  Canada  were 
gathering  about  the  blazing  fire  or  jingling 


THE  GREAT  KAI  BOK-SU  115 

over  the  crisp  snow  in  sleighs  and  cutters, 
the  great  winter  rains  commenced.  Christ- 
mas day — ^his  first  Christmas  in  a  land  that 
did  not  know  its  beautiful  meaning — ^was  one 
long  dreary  downpour.  It  rained  steadily 
all  Christmas  week.  It  poured  on  New- 
year's  day  and  for  a  week  after.  It  came 
down  in  torrents  all  January.  February  set 
in  and  still  it  rained  and  rained,  with  only  a 
short  interval  each  afternoon.  Day  and 
night,  week  in,  week  out,  it  poured,  until 
Mackay  forgot  what  sunlight  looked  like. 
His  house  grew  damp,  his  clothes  moldy.  A 
stream  broke  out  up  in  the  hill  behind  and 
one  morning  he  awoke  to  find  a  cascade  tum- 
bling into  his  kitchen,  and  rushing  across 
the  floor  out  into  the  river  beyond.  And  still 
it  poured  and  the  wind  blew  and  everything 
was  damp  and  cold  and  dreary. 

He  caught  an  occasional  glimpse  of  snow, 
only  a  very  far-off  view,  for  it  lay  away  up 
on  the  top  of  a  mountain,  but  it  made  his 
heart  long  for  just  one  breath  of  good  dry 
Canadian  air,  just  one  whiff  of  the  keen, 
cutting  frost. 


116   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

But  Kai  Bok-su  was  not  the  sort  to  spend 
these  dismal  days  repining.  Indeed  he  had 
no  time,  even  had  he  been  so  inclined.  His 
work  filled  up  every  minute  of  every  rainy 
day  and  hours  of  the  drenched  night.  If 
there  was  no  sunshine  outside  there  was 
plenty  in  his  brave  heart,  and  A  Hoa's  whole 
nature  radiated  brightness. 

And  there  were  many  reasons  for  being 
happy  after  all.  On  the  second  Sabbath  of 
February,  1873,  just  one  year  after  his  ar- 
rival in  Tamsui,  the  missionary  announced, 
at  the  close  of  one  of  his  Sabbath  services, 
that  he  would  receive  a  number  into  the 
Christian  church.  There  was  instantly  a 
commotion  among  the  heathen  who  were  in 
the  house,  and  yells  and  jeers  from  those 
crowding  about  the  door  outside. 

' '  We  11  stop  him, ' '  they  shouted.  *  *  Let  us 
beat  the  converts,"  was  another  cry. 

But  Mackay  went  quietly  on  with  the 
beautiful  ceremony  in  spite  of  the  distur- 
bance. Five  young  men,  with  A  Hoa  at  their 
head,  came  and  were  baptized  into  the  name 
of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit. 


THE   GREAT  KAI  BOK-SU  117 

When  the  next  Sabbath  came  these  five 
with  their  missionary  sat  down  for  the  first 
time  to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  It 
was  a  very  impressive  ceremony.  One  young 
fellow  broke  down,  declaring  he  was  not 
worthy.  Mackay  took  him  alone  into  his  lit- 
tle room  and  they  prayed  together,  and  the 
young  man  came  out  to  the  Lord's  Supper 
comforted,  knowing  that  all  might  be  worthy 
in  Jesus  Christ. 

Spring  came  at  last,  bright  and  clear,  and 
Mackay  announced  to  A  Hoa  that  they  must 
go  up  the  river  and  visit  their  friends  at  Go- 
ko-khi.  The  two  did  not  go  alone  this  time. 
Three  other  young  men  who  wanted  to  be 
missionaries  were  now  spending  their  days 
with  their  teacher,  learning  with  A  Hoa  how 
to  preach  the  gospel.  So  it  was  quite  a  little 
band  of  disciples  that  walked  along  the  river 
bank  up  to  Go-ko-khi.  Mackay  preached 
at  all  the  villages  along  the  route,  and  vis- 
ited the  homes  of  Christians. 

One  day,  as  they  passed  a  yamen  or  Chi- 
nese court-house  where  a  mandarin  was  try- 
ing some  cases,  they  stepped  in  to  see  what 


118      BLACK  BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

was  going  on.  At  one  end  of  the  room  sat 
the  mandarin  who  was  judge.  He  was 
dressed  in  magnificent  silks  and  looked  down 
very  haughtily  upon  the  lesser  people  and 
the  retinue  of  servants  who  were  gath- 
ered about  him.  On  either  side  of  the 
room  stood  a  row  of  constables  and  near 
them  the  executioners.  The  rest  of  the  room 
was  filled  with  friends  of  the  people  on  trial 
and  by  the  rabble  from  the  street.  The  mis- 
sionaries mixed  with  the  former  and  stood 
watching  proceedings.  There  were  no  law- 
yers, no  jury.  The  mandarin's  decision  was 
law. 

The  first  case  was  one  of  theft.  Whether 
the  man  had  really  committed  the  crime  or 
not  was  a  question  freely  discussed  among 
the  onlookers  around  Mackay.  But  there 
seemed  no  doubt  as  to  his  punishment  being 
swift  and  heavy.  *  ^  He  has  not  paid  the  man- 
darin," a  friend  explained  to  the  missionary. 
*^He  will  be  punished." 

'^The  mandarin  eats  cash,"  remarked  an- 
other with  a  shrug.  It  was  a  saying  to  which 
Mackay  had  become  accustomed.    For  it  was 

) 


THE  GREAT  KAI  BOK-SU  119 

one  of  the  shameless  proverbs  of  poor,  op- 
pressed Formosa. 

The  case  was  soon  finished.  Nothing  was 
definitely  proven  against  the  man.  But  the 
mandarin  pronounced  the  sentence  of  death. 
The  victim  was  hurried  out,  shrieking  his 
innocence,  and  praying  for  mercy.  Case  fol- 
lowed case,  each  one  becoming  more  revolt- 
ing than  the  last  to  the  eyes  of  the  young 
man  accustomed  to  British  justice.  Impris- 
onment and  torture  were  meted  out  to  pris- 
oners, and  even  witnesses  were  laid  hold  of 
and  beaten  on  the  face  by  the  executioners 
if  their  tale  did  not  suit  the  mandarin.  Men 
who  were  plainly  guilty  but  who  had  given 
their  judge  a  liberal  bribe  were  let  off,  while 
innocent  men  were  made  to  pay  heavy  fines 
or  were  thrown  into  prison. 

The  young  missionary  went  out  and  on  his 
way  sickened  by  the  sights  he  had  witnessed. 
And  as  he  went,  he  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven 
and  prayed  fervently  that  he  might  be  a 
faithful  preacher  of  the  gospel,  and  that  one 
day  Formosa  would  be  a  Christian  land  and 
injustice  and  oppression  be  done  away. 


120   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

The  next  scene  was  a  happier  one.  There 
was  an  earnest  little  band  of  Christians  in 
Go-ko-khi,  and  two  of  the  young  people  were 
about  to  be  married.  It  was  the  first  Chris- 
tian marriage  in  the  place  and  Kai  Bok-su 
was  called  upon  to  officiate.  There  was  a 
great  deal  of  opposition  raised  among  the 
heathen,  but  after  seeing  the  ceremony,  they, 
all  voted  a  Christian  wedding  everythiilg 
that  was  beautiful  and  good. 


BESIEGING  HEAD-HUNTERS 


CHAPTER  VII 

BESIEGING    HEAD-HUNTEES 

AlTHEISr  they  returned  from  their  trip, 
^  ^  Mackay  and  A  Hoa  with  the  assist- 
ance of  some  of  their  Christian  friends  set 
about  looking  for  a  new  house  in  a  more 
wholesome  district.  It  was  much  easier  for 
the  missionary  to  rent  a  place  now,  and  he 
managed  to  secure  a  comfortable  home  upon 
the  bluff  above  the  town.  It  was  a  dryer 
situation  and  much  more  healthful.  Here 
one  room  was  used  as  a  study  and  every 
morning  when  not  away  on  a  tour  a  party 
of  young  men  gathered  in  it  for  lessons. 
Sometimes,  what  with  traveling,  preaching, 
training  his  students,  visiting  the  sick,  and 
pulling  teeth,  Mackay  had  scarcely  time  to 
eat,  and  very  little  to  sleep.  But  always  as 
he  came  and  went  on  his  travels,  his  eyes 
vrould  wander  to  the  mountains  where  the 

123 


IM      BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

savages  lived,   and  with  all  his  heart  he 
would  wish  that  he  might  visit  them  also. 

His  Chinese  friends  held  up  their  hands 
in  dismay  when  he  broached  the  subject.  To 
the  mountains  where  the  Chhi-hoan  lived! 
Did  Kai  Bok-su  not  know  that  every  man' 
of  them  was  a  practised  head-hunter,  and 
that  behind  every  rock  and  tree  and  in  the 
darkness  of  the  forests  they  lay  in  wait  for 
any  one  who  went  beyond  the  settled  dis- 
tricts ?  Yes,  Kai  Bok-su  knew  all  that,  but 
he  could  not  quite  explain  that  it  was  just 
that  which  made  the  thought  of  a  visit  to 
them  seem  so  alluring,  just  that  which  made 
him  so  anxious  to  tell  them  of  Jesus  Christ, 
who  wished  all  men  to  live  as  brothers.  A 
Hoa  and  a  few  others  who  had  caught  the 
spirit  of  the  true  soldier  of  the  cross  under- 
stood. For  they  had  learned  that  one  who 
follows  Jesus  must  be  ready  to  dare  any- 
thing, death  included,  to  carry  the  news  of 
his  salvation  to  the  dark  corners  of  the 
world. 

But  the  days  were  so  filled  with  preach- 
ing, teaching,  and  touring,  that  for  some 


BESIEGING    HEAD-HUNTERS        125 

time  Mackay  had  no  opportunity  for  a  trip 
into  the  head-hunters'  territory.  And  then 
one  day,  quite  unexpectedly,  his  chance 
came. 

There  sailed  into  Tamsui  harbor,  one  hot 
afternoon,  a  British  man-of-war,  named  The 
Dwarf.  Captain  Bax  from  this  vessel 
(visited  Tamsui,  and  expressed  a  desire  to  see 
something  of  the  life  of  the  savages  in  the 
mountains.  This  was  Mackay 's  opportu- 
nity, and  in  spite  of  protests  from  his 
friends  he  offered  to  accompany  the  captain. 
So  together  they  started  off,  the  sailor-sol- 
dier of  England  and  the  soldier  of  the  cross, 
each  with  the  same  place  in  view  but  each 
with  a  very  different  object. 

It  took  three  days'  journey  from  Tamsui 
across  rice-fields  and  up  hillsides  to  reach 
even  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  Here  there 
lived  a  village  of  natives,  closely  related  to 
the  savages.  But  they  were  not  given  to 
head-hunting  and  were  quite  friendly  with 
the  people  about  them.  Mackay  had  met 
some  of  these  people  on  a  former  trip  inland, 
and  now  he  and  Captain  Bax  hired  their 


126   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

chief  and  a  party  of  his  men  to  guide  them 
up  into  savage  territory. 

The  travelers  slept  that  night  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  before  dawn  were  up  and  ready  to 
start  on  their  dangerous  undertaking.  Be- 
fore them  in  the  gray  dawn  rose  hill  upon 
hill,  each  loftier  than  the  last,  till  they  melted 
into  the  mountains,  the  territory  of  the 
dreaded  head-hunters.  They  started  off  on 
a  steady  tramp,  up  hills,  down  valleys,  and 
across  streams,  until  at  last  they  came  to  the 
foot  of  the  first  mountain. 

Before  them  rose  its  sheer  side,  towering 
thirty-five  hundred  feet  above  their  heads. 
It  was  literally  covered  with  rank  growth  of 
all  kinds,  through  which  it  was  impossible 
to  move.  So  a  plan  of  march  had  to  be  de- 
cided upon.  In  front  went  a  line  of  men 
with  long  sharp  knives.  With  these  they  cut 
away  the  creepers  and  tangled  scrub  or 
undergrowth.  Next  came  the  coolies  with 
the  baggage,  and  last  the  two  travelers.  It 
was  slow  work,  and  sometimes  the  climb  was 
so  steep  they  held  their  breath,  as  they  crept 
over  a  sheer  ledge  and  saw  the  depth  below 


BESIEGING    HEAD-HUNTERS         127 

to  which  they  might  easily  be  hurled.  The 
-chief  of  the  guides  himself  collapsed  in  one 
terrible  climb,  and  his  men  tied  rattan  ropes 
about  him  and  hauled  him  up  over  the  steep- 
est places. 

During  this  wearisome  ascent  the  most 
untiring  one  was  the  missionary;  and  the 
sailor  often  looked  at  him  in  amazement. 
His  lithe,  wiry  frame  never  seemed  to  grow 
weary.  He  was  often  in  the  advance  line, 
•cutting  his  way  through  the  tangle,  and  here 
on  that  first  afternoon  he  met  with  an  un- 
pleasant adventure. 

The  natives  had  warned  the  two  strangers 
to  be  on  the  lookout  for  poisonous  snakes, 
and  Mackay's  year  in  Formosa  had  taught 
him  to  be  wary.  But  he  had  forgotten  all 
danger  in  the  toilsome  climb.  He  was  soon 
reminded  of  it.  They  were  passing  up  a 
slope  covered  with  long  dense  grass  when  a 
rustling  at  his  side  made  the  young  mission- 
ary pause.  The  next  moment  a  huge  cobra 
sprang  out  from  a  clump  of  grass  and  struck 
at  him.  Mackay  sprang  aside  just  in  time 
to   escape  its  deadly  fangs.     The   guides 


1^8   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

rushed  up  with  their  spears  only  to  see  its 
horrible  scaly  length  disappear  in  the  long 
grass. 

That  was  not  the  only  escape  of  the  young 
adventurer,  for  there  were  wild  animals  as 
well  as  poisonous  snakes  along  the  line  of 
inarch,  and  the  man  in  the  front  was  always 
in  danger.  But  at  the  front  Mackay  must 
be  in  spite  of  all  warning.  Nobody  moved 
fast  enough  for  him. 

At  last  they  reached  the  summit  of  the 
range.  They  were  now  on  the  dividing  line 
between  Chinese  ground  and  savage  terri- 
tory, and  the  men  who  dared  go  a  step  far- 
ther went  at  terrible  risk.  The  head-hunt- 
ers would  very  likely  see  that  they  did  not 
return. 

But  Mackay  was  all  for  pushing  forward, 
and  Captain  Bax  was  no  less  eager.  So 
they  spent  a  night  in  the  forest  and  the  next 
day  marched  on  up  another  and  higher 
range.  As  they  journeyed,  the  travelers 
could  not  but  burst  into  exclamations  of  de- 
light at  the  loveliness  about  them.  Behind 
those  great  trees  and  in  those  tangles  of 


BESIEGING     HEAD-HUNTERS        129 

vines  might  lurk  the  head-hunters,  but  for 
all  that  the  beauty  of  the  place  made  them 
forget  the  dangers.  The  great  banyan  trees 
whose  branches  came  down  and  took  root  in 
the  earth,  making  a  wonderful  round  leafy 
tent,  grew  on  every  side.  Camphor  trees 
towered  far  above  them  and  then  spread  out 
great  branches  sixty  or  seventy  feet  from 
the  ground.  Then  there  was  the  rattan 
creeping  out  over  the  tops  of  the  other  trees 
and  making  a  thick  canopy  through  which 
the  hot  tropical  sun-rays  could  not  penetrate. 

And  the  flowers !  Sometimes  Mackay  and 
Bax  would  stand  amazed  at  their  beauty. 
They  came  one  afternoon  to  an  open  glade 
in  the  cool  green  dimness  of  the  forest.  On 
all  sides  the  stately  tree-ferns  rose  up  thirty 
or  forty  feet  above  them,  and  underneath 
grew  a  tangle  of  lovely  green  undergrowth. 

And  upon  this  green  carpet  it -seemed  to 
their  dazzled  eyes  that  thousands  of  butter- 
flies of  the  loveliest  form  and  color  had  just 
alighted.  And  not  only  butterflies,  but  birds 
and  huge  insects  and  all  sorts  of  winged 
creatures,  pink  and  gold  and  green  and  scar- 


130      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

let  and  blue,  and  all  variegated  hues.  But 
the  lovely  things  sat  motionless,  sending  out 
such  a  delightful  perfume  that  there  could 
be  no  doubt  that  they  were  flowers, — the 
wonderful  orchids  of  Formosa !  Mackay  was 
a  keen  scientist,  always  highly  interested  in 
botany,  and  he  was  charmed  with  this  sight. 
There  were  many  such  in  the  forest,  and 
often  he  would  stop  spellbound  before  a 
blaze  of  flowers  hanging  from  tree  or  vine 
or  shrub.  Then  he  would  look  up  at  the 
tangled  growths  of  the  bamboo,  the  palm, 
and  the  elegant  tree-fern,  standing  there  all 
silent  and  beautiful,  and  he  would  be  struck 
by  the  harmony  between  God's  work  and 
Word.  *^I  can't  keep  from  studying  the 
flora  of  Formosa,"  he  said  to  Captain  Bax. 
*^What  missionary  would  not  be  a  better 
man,  the  bearer  of  a  richer  gospel,  what  con- 
vert would  not  be  a  more  enduring  Chris- 
tian from  becoming  acquainted  with  such 
wonderful  works  of  the  Creator?" 

At  last  they  stood  on  the  summit  of  the 
second  range  and  saw  before  them  still  more 
mountains,   clothed  from  summit   to  base 


BESIEGING     HEAD-HUNTERS        131 

with  trees.  They  were  now  right  in  savage 
territory  and  their  guide  clambered  out  upon 
a  spur  of  rock  and  announced  that  there 
was  a  party  of  head-hunters  in  the  valley 
below.  He  gave  a  long  halloo.  From  away 
down  in  the  valley  came  an  answering  call, 
ringing  through  the  forest.  Then  far  down 
through  the  thicket  Mackay 's  sharp  eyes  de- 
scried the  party  coming  up  to  meet  them. 
Just  then  their  own  guide  gave  the  signal 
to  move  on,  and  the  missionary  and  Captain 
Bax  walked  down  the  hill — the  first  white 
men  who  had  ever  come  out  to  meet  those 
savages. 

Half-way  down  the  slope  the  two  parties 
came  face  to  face.  The  head-hunters  were 
a  wild,  uncouth-looking  company,  armed  to 
the  teeth.  They  all  carried  guns,  spears, 
and  knives  and  some  had  also  bows  and  ar- 
rows slung  over  their  backs.  Their  faces 
were  hideously  tattooed  in  a  regular  pattern, 
while  they  wore  no  more  clothes  than  were 
necessary.  A  sort  of  sack  of  coarse  linen 
with  holes  in  the  sides  for  their  arms,  served 
as  the  chief  garment,  and  generally  the  only 


18^   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

one.  Every  one  wore  a  broad  belt  of  woven 
rattan  in  which  was  stuck  his  crooked 
pointed  knife.  Some  of  the  younger  men 
had  their  coats  ornamented  with  bright  red 
and  blue  threads  woven  into  the  texture. 
IThey  had  brass  rings  on  their  arms  and  legs 
too,  and  even  sported  big  earrings.  These 
were  ugly  looking  things  made  of  bamboo 
sticks.  The  head-hunters  were  all  bare- 
footed, but  most  of  them  wore  caps — queer- 
looking  things,  made  of  rattan.  Prom  many 
of  them  hung  bits  of  skin  of  the  boar  or 
other  wild  animals  they  had  killed.  They 
stood  staring  suspiciously  at  the  two  stran- 
gers. Never  before  had  they  seen  a  white 
man,  and  the  appearance  of  the  naval  officer 
and  the  missionary,  so  different  from  them- 
selves, and  yet  so  different  from  their  hated 
enemies,  the  Chinese,  filled  them  with  amaze- 
ment and  a  good  deal  of  suspicion.  After 
a  little  talk  with  the  guides,  however,  the 
visitors  were  allowed  to  pass  on.  As  soon 
as  they  began  to  move,  the  savages  fell  into 
line  behind  them  and  followed  closely.  The 
two   white   men,   walking   calmly   onward, 


BESIEGING     HEAD-HUNTERS         133 

could  not  help  thinking  how  easy  it  would 
be  for  one  of  those  fierce-looking  tattooed 
braves  to  win  applause  by  springing  upon 
both  of  them  and  carrying  their  heads  in 
triumph  to  the  next  village. 

As  they  came  down  farther  into  the  val- 
ley, they  passed  the  place  where  the  savages 
had  their  camp.  Here  naked  children  and 
tattooed  women  crept  out  of  the  dense  woods 
to  stare  at  the  queer-looking  Chinamen  who 
had  white  faces  and  wore  no  cue. 

The  march  through  this  valley,  even  with- 
out the  head-hunters  at  their  heels,  would 
not  have  been  easy.  The  visitors  clambered 
over  huge  trunks  blown  across  the  path,  and 
tore  their  clothes  and  hands  scrambling 
through  the  thorny  bushes.  The  sun  was 
still  shining  on  the  mountain-peaks  far 
above  them,  but  away  down  here  in  the  val- 
ley it  was  rapidly  growing  dark  and  very 
cold.  They  had  almost  decided  to  stop  and 
wait  for  morning  when  a  light  ahead  en- 
couraged them  to  go  on.  They  soon  came 
upon  a  big  camp-fire  and  round  it  were 
squatted  several  hundred  savages.    The  fire- 


134       BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

light  gleaming  upon  the  dark,  fierce  faces  of 
the  head-hunters  and  on  their  spears  and 
knives,  made  a  startling  picture. 

They  were  round  the  visitors  immediately, 
staring  at  the  two  white  men  in  amazement. 
The  party  of  savages  who  had  escorted  them 
seemed  to  be  making  some  explanation  of 
their  appearance,  for  they  all  subsided  at 
last  and  once  more  sat  round  their  fire. 

The  newcomers  started  a  fire  of  their  own^ 
and  their  servants  cooked  their  food.  The 
white  men  were  in  momentary  danger  of 
their  lives.  But  they  sat  on  the  ground  be- 
fore the  fire  and  quietly  ate  their  supper 
while  hundreds  of  savage  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  them  in  suspicious,  watchful  silence. 

The  meal  over  the  servants  prepared  a 
place  for  the  travelers  to  sleep,  and  while 
they  were  so  doing,  the  young  missionary 
was  not  idle.  He  longed  to  speak  to  these 
poor,  darkened  heathen,  but  they  could  not 
understand  Chinese.  However,  he  found 
several  poor  fellows  lying  prostrate  on  the 
ground,  overcome  with  malaria,  and  he  got 
his  guide  to  ask  if  he  might  not  give  the 


BESIEGING     HEAD-HUNTERS         135 

sick  ones  medicine.  Being  allowed  to  do  so, 
he  gave  each  one  a  dose  of  quinine.  The 
poor  creatures  tried  to  look  their  gratitude 
when  the  terrible  chills  left  them,  and  soon 
they  were  able  to  sink  into  sleep. 

Before  he  retired  to  his  own  bed  of 
boughs,  the  young  missionary  sang  that 
grand  old  anthem  which  these  lonely  woods 
and  their  savage  inhabitants  had  never  yet 
heard : 

All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell, 
Sing  to  the  Lord  with  cheerful  voice. 

But  these  poor  people  could  not  ^^sing  to  the 
Lord,"  for  they  had  never  yet  so  much  as 
heard  his  name. 

All  night  the  missionary  lay  on  the 
ground,  finding  the  chill  mountain  air  too 
cold  for  sleep,  and  whenever  he  looked  out 
from  his  shelter  of  boughs  he  saw  hundreds 
of  savage  eyes,  gleaming  in  the  firelight,  still 
wide  open  and  fixed  upon  him. 

Day  broke  late  in  the  valley,  but  the  trav- 
elers were  astir  in  the  morning  twilight. 
The  mountain-tops  were  touched  with  rosy 


136   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

light  even  while  it  was  dark  down  in  these 
forest  depths. 

The  chilled  white  men  were  glad  to  get 
up  and  exercise  their  stiffened  limbs.  There 
were  several  of  their  party  who  could  speak 
l3oth  Chinese  and  the  dialect  of  these  moun- 
taineers, and  through  them  Mackay  per- 
suaded the  chief  of  the  tribe  to  take  them 
to  visit  his  village. 

He  seemed  reluctant  at  first  and  there  was 
much  discussion  with  his  braves.  Evidently 
they  were  more  anxious  to  go  on  a  head-hunt 
than  to  act  the  part  of  hosts.  However, 
after  a  great  deal  of  chatter,  they  consented, 
and  the  chief  and  his  son  with  thirty  men 
rseparated  themselves  from  the  rest  of  the 
band  and  led  the  way  out  of  the  valley  up 
the  mountainside.  The  travelers  had  to  stop 
often,  for,  besides  the  natural  difficulties  of 
the  way,  the  chief  proved  a  new  obstacle. 
Every  mile  or  so  he  would  apparently  repent 
of  his  hospitality.  He  would  stop,  gather  his 
tattooed  braves  about  him  and  confer  with 
them,  while  his  would-be  visitors  sat  on  the 
ground  or  a  fallen  tree-trunk  to  await  his 


BESIEGING    HEAD-HUNTERS         137 

pleasure.  Finally  lie  would  start  off  again, 
the  travelers  following,  but  no  sooner  were 
they  under  way  than  again  their  uncertain 
guide  would  stop.  Once  he  and  his  men 
stood  motionless,  listening.  Away  up  in  the 
boughs  of  a  camphor  tree  a  little  tailor-bird 
was  twittering.  The  savages  listened  as 
though  to  the  voice  of  an  oracle. 

*'What  are  they  doing?"  Mackay  asked 
of  one  of  his  men,  when  the  head-hunters 
stopped  a  second  time  and  stared  earnestly 
at  the  boughs  above. 

^^Bird-listening,"  explained  the  guide.  A 
few  more  questions  drew  from  him  the  fact 
that  the  savages  believed  the  little  birds 
would  tell  them  whether  or  not  they  should 
bring  these  strangers  home.  They  always 
consulted  the  birds  when  starting  out  on  a 
head-hunt,  he  further  explained.  If  the 
birds  gave  a  certain  kind  of  chirp  and  flew 
in  a  certain  direction,  then  all  was  well,  and 
the  hunters  would  go  happily  forward.  But 
if  the  birds  acted  in  the  opposite  way,  noth- 
ing in  the  world  could  persuade  the  chief  to 
go  on.    Evidently  the  birds  gave  their  per- 


188   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

mission  to  bring  the  travelers  home,  for  in 
spite  of  many  halts,  the  savages  still  moved 
forward. 

They  had  been  struggling  for  some  miles 
through  underbrush  and  prickly  rattan  and 
the  white  men's  clothes  were  torn  and  their 
hands  scratched.  Now,  however,  they  came 
upon  a  well-beaten  path,  winding  up  the 
mountainside,  and  it  proved  a  great  relief 
to  the  weary  travelers.  But  here  occurred 
another  delay.  The  savages  all  stopped,  and 
the  chief  approached  Mackay  and  spoke  to 
him  through  the  interpreter.  Would  the 
white  man  join  him  in  a  head-hunting  expe- 
dition, was  his  modest  request.  There  were 
some  Chinese  not  so  far  below  them,  cutting 
out  rattan,  and  he  was  sure  they  could  se- 
cure one  or  more  heads.  He  shook  the  big 
net  head-bag  that  hung  over  his  shoulder 
and  grinned  savagely  as  he  made  his  pro- 
posal. If  the  white  men  and  their  party 
would  come  at  the  enemy  from  one  side,  he 
and  his  men  would  attack  them  from  the 
other,  he  said,  and  they  would  be  sure  to 
get  them  all.    The  incongruity  of  a  Christian 


BESIEGING    HEAD-HUNTERS         139 

missionary  being  invited  on  a  head-hunt 
struck  Captain  Bax  as  rather  funny  in  spite 
of  its  gruesomeness.  This  was  a  delicate  sit- 
uation to  handle,  but  Mackay  put  a  bold 
front  on  it.  He  answered  indignantly  that 
he  and  his  friend  had  come  in  peace  to  visit 
the  chief,  and  that  he  was  neither  kind  nor 
honorable  in  trying  to  get  his  visitors  to 
fight  his  battles. 

The  interpreter  translated  and  for  a  mo- 
ment several  pairs  of  savage  eyes  gleamed 
angrily  at  the  bold  white  man.  But  second 
thoughts  proved  calmer.  After  another 
council  the  savages  moved  on. 

They  were  now  at  the  top  of  a  range,  and 
every  one  was  ordered  to  halt  and  remain 
silent.  Mackay  thought  that  advice  was 
again  to  be  asked  of  some  troublesome  little 
birds,  but  instead  the  savages  raised  a  pe- 
culiar long-drawn  shout.  It  was  answered 
at  once  from  the  opposite  mountain-top,  and 
immediately  the  whole  party  moved  on  down 
the  slope. 

Here  was  the  same  lovely  tangle  of  vines 
and  ferns  and  beautiful  flowers.    Monkeys 


140      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

sported  in  the  trees  and  chattered  and 
scolded  the  intruders.  Down  one  range  and 
up  another  they  scrambled  and  at  last  they 
came  upon  the  village  of  the  head-hunters. 

It  lay  in  a  valley  in  an  open  space  where 
the  forest  trees  had  been  cleared  awav.  It 
consisted  of  some  half-dozen  houses  or  huts 
made  of  bamboo  or  wickerwork,  and  the 
place  seemed  literally  swarming  with  women 
and  children  and  noisy  yelping  dogs.  But 
even  these  could  not  account  for  the  terrible 
din  that  seemed  to  fill  the  valley.  Such  un- 
earthly yells  and  screeches  the  white  men 
had  never  heard  before. 

''What  is  it?"  asked  Captain  Bax.  ''Has 
the  whole  village  gone  mad?'' 

Mackay  turned  to  one  of  his  guides,  and 
the  man  explained  that  the  noise  came  from 
a  village  a  little  farther  down  the  valley.  A 
young  hunter  had  returned  with  a  China- 
man's head,  and  his  friends  were  rejoicing 
over  it.  The  merrymaking  sounded  to  the 
visitors  more  like  the  howling  of  a  pack  of 
fiends,  for  it  bore  no  resemblance  to  any 
human  sounds  they  had  ever  heard. 


BESIEGING    HEAD-HUNTERS        141 

Fortunately  they  were  invited  to  stop  at 
the  nearer  village  and  were  not  compelled  to 
take  part  in  the  horrible  celebration.  They 
were  taken  at  once  to  the  chief's  house.  It 
was  the  best  in  the  village,  and  boasted  of  a 
floor,  made  of  rattan  ropes  half  an  inch 
thick.  All  along  the  outside  wall,  under  the 
eaves,  hung  a  row  of  gruesome  ornaments, 
heads  of  the  boar  and  deer  and  other  wild 
animals  killed  in  the  chase,  and  here  and 
there  mingled  with  them  the  skulls  of  China- 
men. The  house  held  one  large  room,  and, 
as  it  was  a  cold  evening,  a  fire  burned  at 
either  end  of  it.  At  one  end  the  men  stood 
chatting,  at  the  other  the  women  squatted. 
The  visitors  were  invited  to  sit  by  the  men's 
fire.  There  were  several  beds  along  the  wall, 
two  of  which  were  offered  to  the  strangers. 
But  they  were  not  prepared  to  remain  for 
the  night,  and  had  decided  to  start  back  be- 
fore the  shadows  fell. 

The  whole  village  came  to  the  chief's  house 
and  crowded  round  the  newcomers,  men  first, 
women  and  children  on  the  outskirts,  and 
dogs  still  farther  back.    Several  men  came 


142       BLACK   BEARDED    BARBARIAN 

forward  and  claimed  Mackay  as  a  friend. 
They  touched  their  own  breasts  and  then 
his,  in  salutation,  grinning  in  a  most  friendly 
manner.  The  young  missionary  was  at  first 
puzzled,  then  smiled  delightedly.  They  were 
some  of  the  poor  fellows  to  whom  he  had 
given  quinine  the  evening  before  in  the  val- 
ley. 

This  greeting  seemed  to  encourage  the 
others.  They  became  more  friendly  and 
suddenly  one  man  who  had  been  circling 
round  the  visitors  touched  the  back  of 
Mackay 's  head  and  exclaimed,  ^^They  do  not 
wear  the  cue!  They  are  our  kinsmen." 
Prom  that  moment  they  were  treated  with 
far  greater  kindness,  and  on  several  other 

visits  that  Mackav  made  to  the  head-hunt- 

»/ 

ers,  they  always  spoke  with  interest  of  him 
as  kinsman. 

But  all  danger  was  not  over.  The  savages 
were  still  suspicious,  and  at  any  moment  the 
newcomers  might  excite  them.  So  they  de- 
cided to  start  back  at  once,  while  every  one 
was  in  a  friendly  mood.  They  made  pres- 
ents to  the  chief  and  some  of  his  leading 


BESIEGING    HEAD-HUNTERS         143 

men ;  and  left  with  expressions  of  good-will 
on  both  sides. 

By  evening  they  had  reached  the  valley 
where  they  had  first  met  the  savages  and 
here  they  prepared  to  spend  the  night.  They 
had  no  sooner  kindled  their  fires  than  from 
the  darkness  on  every  side  shadowy  forms 
silently  emerged, — the  savages  come  to  visit 
them!  They  glided  out  of  the  black  forest 
into  the  ring  of  firelight  and  squatted  upon 
the  ground  until  fully  five  hundred  dusky 
faces  looked  out  at  the  travelers  from  the 
gloom.  It  was  rather  an  unpleasant  situa- 
tion, there  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  but 
Mackay  turned  it  to  good  account.  First  he 
and  Captain  Bax  made  presents  to  the  head- 
men and  they  were  as  pleased  as  children 
to  receive  the  gay  ornaments  and  bright 
cloth  the  travelers  gave  them.  And  then 
Mackay  called  their  interpreter  to  his  side 
and  they  stood  up  together,  facing  the 
crowd.  Speaking  through  his  interpreter, 
the  missionary  said  he  wished  to  tell  them  a 
story.  These  mountain  savages  were  veri- 
table children  in  their  love  for  a  story,  as 


144   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

they  were  in  so  many  other  ways,  and  their 
eyes  gleamed  with  delight. 

It  was  a  wonderful  story  he  told  them,  the 
like  of  which  they  had  never  heard  before. 
It  was  about  the  great  God,  who  had  made 
the  earth  and  the  people  on  it,  and  was  the 
Father  of  them  all.  He  told  how  God  loved 
everybody,  because  they  were  his  children. 
Chinese,  white  men  beyond  the  sea  like  him- 
self and  Captain  Bax,  the  people  of  the 
mountains, — all  were  God's  children.  And 
so  all  men  were  brothers,  and  should  love 
God  their  Father  and  each  other.  And  be- 
cause God  loved  his  children  so,  he  sent  his 
Son,  Jesus  Christ,  to  live  among  men  and  to 
die  for  them.  He  told  the  story  simply  and 
beautifully,  just  as  he  would  to  little  chil- 
dren, and  these  children  of  the  forest  lis- 
tened and  their  savage  eyes  grew  less  fierce 
as  they  heard  for  the  first  time  of  the  story 
of  the  Savior. 

The  next  day,  after  a  toilsome  journey, 
the  travelers  reached  the  plain  below.  They 
had  made  their  dangerous  trip  and  had  es- 
caped the  head-hunters,  but  as  fierce  an  en- 


BESIEGING    HEAD-HUNTERS         145 

emy  was  lying  in  wait  for  both,  an  enemy 
that  in  Formosa  devours  native  and  for- 
eigner alike.  Captain  Bax  was  the  first  to 
be  attacked.  All  day,  as  they  descended  the 
mountain,  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents, 
a  real  Formosan  rain  that  is  like  the  flood- 
gates opening.  The  travelers  were  drenched 
and  chilly,  and  just  as  they  emerged  from 
the  forest  Captain  Bax  succumbed  to  the 
enemy.    Malaria  had  smitten  him. 

Shaking  with  chills  and  then  burning  with 
fever,  he  was  placed  in  a  sedan-chair  and 
carried  the  remainder  of  the  way,  three 
days'  journey,  to  the  coast,  where  the  med- 
ical attendants  on  board  his  ship  cured  him. 
Mackay  was  feeling  desperately  ill  all  the 
way  across  the  plain,  but  with  his  usual  de- 
termination he  refused  to  give  in  until  he 
almost  staggered  across  the  threshold  of  his 
home. 

The  house  had  been  closed  in  his  absence. 
It  was  now  damp  and  chilly  and  everything 
was  covered  with  mold.  He  lay  down  in  his 
bed,  alternately  shivering  with  cold  and 
burning  with  fever.    In  the  next  room  A 


146      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

Hoa,  who  had  gone  to  bed  also,  heard  his 
teeth  chattering  and  came  to  him  at  once.  It 
was  a  terrible  thing  to  the  young  fellow  to 
see  his  dauntless  Kai  Bok-su  overcome  bv 
any  kind  of  force.  It  seemed  impossible  that 
he  who  had  cured  so  many  should  become  a 
victim  himself.  A  Hoa  proved  a  kind  nurse. 
He  stayed  by  the  bedside  all  night,  doing 
everything  in  his  power  to  allay  the  fever. 
His  efforts  proved  successful,  and  in  a  few 
days  the  patient  was  well.  But  never  again 
was  he  quite  free  from  the  dreaded  disease, 
and  all  the  rest  of  his  life  he  was  subject 
to  the  most  violent  attacks  of  malaria,  a 
terrible  memento  by  which  he  was  always 
to  remember  his  first  visit  to  the  head- 
hunters. 


CITIES  CAPTUEED  AND  FOETS 
BUILT 


CHAPTER   VIII 

CITIES    CAPTURED    AND    FORTS    BUILT 

UP  the  river  to  Go-ko-kM!  That  was  al- 
.,  ways  a  joy,  and  whenever  Mackay 
could  take  a  day  from  his  many  duties,  with 
A  Hoa  and  one  or  more  other  students,  he 
would  go  up  and  visit  old  Thah-so  and  tho 
kindly  people  of  this  little  village. 

One  day,  after  they  had  preached  in  the 
empty  granary  and  the  rain  had  come  in, 
Mr.  Tan,  the  headman,  walked  up  the  village 
street  with  them,  and  he  made  them  an  offer. 
They  might  have  the  plot  of  ground  opposite 
his  house  for  a  chapel-site.  This  was  grand 
news.  A  chapel  in  north  Formosa !  Mackay 
could  hardly  believe  it,  but  it  seemed  that 
there  really  was  to  be  one.  There  were 
many  Christians  in  Go-ko-khi  now,  and  each 
one  was  ready  for  work.  Some  collected 
stones,  others  prepared  sun-dried  bricks, 

149 


150   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

others  dug  the  foundation,   and  the  first 
church  in  north  Formosa  was  commenced. 

Now  Go-ko-khi  was,  unfortunately,  near 
the  great  city  of  Bang-kah.  This  was  the 
most  hostile  and  wicked  place  in  all  that 
country,  and  A  Hoa  and  Mackay  had  been 
stoned  out  of  it  on  their  visit  there.  The 
people  in  Bang-kah  learned  of  the  new 
church  building,  and  one  day,  when  the  brick 
walls  were  about  three  feet  high,  there  arose 
a  tramp  of  feet,  beating  of  drums,  and  loud 
shouts,  and  up  marched  a  detachment  of  sol- 
diers sent  with  orders  from  the  prefect  of 
Bang-kah  to  stop  the  building  of  the  chapel. 
Their  officers  went  straight  to  the  house,  of 
the  headman  with  his  commands.  Mr.  Tan 
was  six  feet  two  and  he  rose  to  his  full 
height  and  towered  above  his  visitor  ma- 
jestically. The  ^^ mayor"  of  Go-ko-khi  was 
a  Christian  now,  and  on  the  wall  of  his  house 
was  pasted  a  large  sheet  of  paper  with  the 
ten  commandments  printed  on  it.  He  pointed 
to  this  and  said :  ^  *  I  am  determined  to  abide 
by  these. ' '  The  officer  was  taken  aback.  He 
was  scarcely  prepared  to  defy  the  headman, 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  151 

and  lie  went  away  to  stir  up  the  villagers. 
But  everywhere  the  soldiers  met  with  oppo- 
sition. There  seemed  no  one  who  would  take 
their  part.  The  officer  knew  he  and  his  men 
were  scarcely  within  their  rights  in  what 
they  were  doing;  so,  fearing  trouble,  he 
marched  back  to  the  city,  reporting  there 
that  the  black-bearded  barbarian  had  be- 
witched the  villagers  with  some  magic  art. 

The  prefect  of  Bang-kah  next  sent  a  mes- 
sage to  the  British  consul.  The  missionary 
was  building  a  fort  at  Go-ko-khi,  he  de- 
clared in  great  alarm,  and  would  probably 
bring  guns  up  the  river  at  night.  He  was 
a  very  bad  man  indeed,  and  if  the  British 
consul  desired  peace  he  should  stop  this 
wicked  Kai  Bok-su  at  once.  And  the  Brit- 
ish consul  down  in  his  old  Dutch  fort  at 
Tamsui  laughed  heartily  over  the  letter, 
knowing  all  about  Kai  Bok-su  and  the  sort 
of  fort  he  was  building. 

So,  in  spite  of  all  opposition,  the  little 
church  rose  steadily  up  and  up  until  it  was 
crowned  with  a  tiled  roof  and  was  ready  for 
the  worshipers. 


152   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

That  was  a  great  day  for  north  Formosa 
and  its  young  missionary,  the  day  the  first 
church  was  opened.  The  place  was  packed 
to  the  doors,  and  many  stood  outside  listen- 
ing at  the  windows.  And  of  that  crowd  one 
hundred  and  fifty  arose  and  declared  that 
from  henceforth  they  would  cast  away  their 
idols  and  worship  only  the  one  and  true  God. 
Standing  up  there  in  his  first  pulpit  and 
looking  down  upon  the  crowd  of  upturned 
faces,  and  seeing  the  new  light  in  them 
which  the  blessed  good  news  of  Jesus  and 
his  love  had  brought,  Kai  Bok-su's  heart 
swelled  with  joy. 

He  stayed  with  them  some  time  after  this, 
for,  though  so  many  people  had  become 
Christians,  they  were  like  little  children  and 
needed  much  careful  teaching.  Especially 
they  must  learn  how  to  live  as  Jesus  Christ 
would  have  his  followers  live.  Many  heathen 
as  well  as  the  Christians  came  to  his  meet- 
ings and  listened  eagerly.  At  first  the  peo- 
ple found  it  almost  impossible  to  sit  quiet 
and  still  during  a  service.  They  had  never 
been  accustomed  to  such  a  task,  and  some 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  153 

of  the  missionary's  experiences  were  very 
funny.  When  they  had  sung  a  hymn  and 
had  settled  down  to  listen  to  the  address,  the 
preacher  would  no  sooner  start  than  out 
w^ould  come  one  long  pipe  after  another, 
pieces  of  flint  would  strike  on  steel,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  the  smoke  would  begin  to  as- 
cend. Mackay  would  pause  and  gently  tell 
them  that  as  this  was  a  Christian  service 
they  must  not  do  anything  that  might  dis- 
turb it.  They  were  anxious  to  do  just  as  he 
bade,  so  the  pipes  would  disappear,  and  nod- 
ding their  heads  politely  they  would  say, 
*'0h,  yes,  we  must  be  quiet;  oh,  yes,  in- 
deed." 

One  day  when  the  congregation  was  very 
still  and  their  young  pastor  was  speaking 
earnest  words  to  them,  one  man  less  atten- 
tive than  the  others  happened  to  glance  out 
of  the  window.  Instantly  he  sprang  to  his 
feet  shouting,  ^^ Buffaloes  in  the  rice-fields! 
Buffaloes  in  the  rice-fields!"  and  away  he 
went  with  a  good  fraction  of  the  congrega- 
tion helter-skelter  at  his  heels. 

The  missionary  spoke  again  upon  the  ne- 


151   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

cessity  of  quiet,  and  his  hearers  nodded 
agreeably  and  murmured,  ^^Yes,  yes,  we 
must  be  quiet.'' 

They  were  very  good  for  the  next  few 
minutes  and  the  minister  had  reached  a  very 
important  point  in  his  address,  when  there 
was  a  great  disturbance  at  the  door.  An  old 
woman  came  hobbling  up  on  her  small  feet 
and  poking  her  head  in  at  the  church  door 
screamed,  ^^My  pig  has  gone !  Pig  has  gone ! " 
and  away  went  another  portion  of  the  con- 
gregation to  help  find  the  truant  porker. 

But,  in  spite  of  many  interruptions,  the 
congregation  at  Go-ko-khi  learned  much  of 
the  beautiful  truth  of  their  new  religion. 
Their  indulgent  pastor  never  blamed  his 
restless  hearers,  but  before  the  church  was 
two  months  old  he  had  trained  them  so  well 
that  there  was  not  a  more  orderly  and  atten- 
tive congregation  even  in  his  own  Christian 
Canada  than  that  which  gathered  in  the  first 
chapel  in  north  Formosa. 

But  the  day  came  at  last  when  he  had  to 
leave  them,  and  the  question  was  who  should 
be  left  over  them.    The  answer  seemed  very 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  155 

plain, — ^A  Hoa.  The  first  convert  placed  as 
pastor  over  the  first  church!  It  was  very 
fitting.  Some  months  before,  down  in  Tam- 
sui,  when  A  Hoa  had  been  baptized  and'  had 
taken  his  first  communion,  he  had  vowed  to 
give  his  life  more  fully  to  his  Master's  serv- 
ice. So  here  was  his  field  of  labor,  and  here 
he  began  his  work.  He  was  so  utterly  sin- 
cere and  lovable,  so  bright  and  jovial,  so  firm 
of  purpose  and  yet  so  kindly,  that  he  wa& 
soon  beloved  by  all  the  Christians  and  re- 
spected by  the  heathen.  And  one  of  his 
greatest  helpers  was  widow  Thah-so,  who 
had  been  instrumental  in  bringing  the  mis- 
sionary with  his  glad  tidings  to  her  village. 

Mackay  missed  A  Hoa  sorely  at  first,  but 
he  had  his  other  students  about  him,  and 
often  when  bent  upon  a  long  journey  would 
send  for  his  first  convert,  and  together  they 
would  travel  here  and  there  over  the  island, 
making  new  recruits  everywhere  for  the 
army  of  their  great  Captain. 

The  little  church  at  Go-ko-khi  was  but  the 
first  of  many.  Like  the  hepaticas  that  used 
to   peep   forth  in  the   missionary's   home 


156   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

woods,  telling  that  spring  had  arrived,  here 
and  there  they  came  up,  showing  that  the 
long  cruel  winter  of  heathenism  in  north 
Formosa  was  drawing  to  an  end. 

Away  up  the  Tamsui  river,  nestled  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountains,  stood  a  busy  town 
called  Sin-tiam.  A  young  man  from  this 
place  sailed  down  to  Tamsui  on  business  one 
day  and  there  heard  the  great  Kai  Bok-su 
preach  of  the  new  Jehovah-God.  He  went 
liome  full  of  the  wonderful  news,  and  so 
much  did  he  talk  about  it  that  a  large  num- 
ber of  people  in  Sin-tiam  were  very  anxious 
to  hear  the  barbarian  themselves.  So  one 
day  a  delegation  came  down  the  river  to  the 
house  on  the  bluff  above  Tamsui.  They 
made  this  request  known  to  the  missionary 
as  he  sat  teaching  his  students  in  the  study. 
Would  he  not  come  and  tell  the  people  of 
Sin-tiam  the  story  about  this  Jesus-God  who 
loved  all  men  ?  Would  he  go  ?  Kai  Bok-su 
was  on  the  road  almost  before  the  slow-going 
Orientals  had  finished  delivering  the  mes- 
;sage. 

It  was  the  season  of  a  feast  to  their  idols 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  15T 

in  Sin-tiam  when  the  missionary  and  his 
party  arrived.  Great  crowds  thronged  the 
streets,  and  the  barbarian  with  his  white 
face  and  his  black  beard  and  his  queer 
clothes  attracted  unusual  attention.  The  fa- 
miliar cry,  ^^ Foreign  devil,"  was  mingled 
with  ^^Kill  the  barbarian,"  ^^Down  with  the 
foreigner." 

The  crowd  began  to  surge  closer  around 
the  missionary  party,  and  affairs  looked 
very  serious.  Suddenly  a  little  boy  right  in 
Mackay's  path  was  struck  on  the  head  by  a 
brick  intended  for  the  missionary.  He  was 
picked  up,  and  Mackay,  pressing  through 
the  crowd  to  where  the  little  fellow  lay,  took 
out  his  surgical  instruments  and  dressed  the 
wound.  All  about  him  the  cries  of  ^^Kill  the 
foreign  devil"  changed  to  cries  of  **Good 
heart!  Good  heart!"  The  crowd  became 
friendly  at  once,  and  Mackay  passed  on, 
having  had  once  more  a  narrow  escape  from 
death. 

The  work  of  preaching  to  these  people 
was  carried  on  vigorously,  and  before  many 
months  had  passed  the  Christians  met  to- 


158      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

gether  and  declared  they  must  build  a  chapel 
for  the  worship  of  the  true  God. 

So,  close  by  the  riverside,  in  a  most  pic- 
turesque spot,  the  walls  of  the  second  chapel 
of  north  Formosa  began  to  rise.  It  was  not 
without  opposition  of  course.  One  rabid 
idol-worshiper  stopped  before  the  half -fin- 
ished building  with  its  busy  workmen,  and, 
picking  up  a  large  stone,  declared  that  he 
would  smash  the  head  of  the  black-bearded 
barbarian  if  the  work  was  not  stopped  that 
moment.  Needless  to  say,  the  missionary, 
standing  within  a  good  stone's  throw  of  his 
enemy,  ordered  the  workers  to  continue. 
George  Mackay  was  not  to  be  stopped  by  all 
the  stones  in  north  Formosa. 

This  stone  was  never  thrown,  however, 
and  at  last  the  chapel  was  finished.  Once 
more  a  preacher  was  ready  to  be  its  pastor. 
Tan  He,  a  young  man  who  had  been  study- 
ing earnestly  under  his  leader  for  some  time, 
was  placed  over  this  second  congregation, 
and  once  more  there  blossomed  out  a  sure 
sign  that  the  spring  had  indeed  come  to 
north  Formosa. 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  159 

Tek-cKham,  a  walled  city  of  over  forty 
thousand  inhabitants,  was  the  next  place  to 
be  attacked  by  this  little  army  of  the  King's 
soldiers.  The  first  visit  of  the  missionary 
caused  a  riot,  but  before  long  Tek-chham  had 
a  chapel  with  some  of  the  rioters  for  its  best 
members,  and  a  once  proud  graduate  and 
worshiper  of  Confucius  installed  in  it  as  its 
pastor. 

Ten  miles  from  Tek-chham  stood  a  little 
village  called  Geh-bai.  The  missionary-sol- 
diers visited  it,  and  to  their  delight  found  a 
church  building  ready  for  them.  It  was 
quite  a  wonderful  place,  capable  of  holding 
fully  a  thousand  people  without  much 
crowding.  Its  roof  was  the  boughs  of  the 
great  banyan  tree ;  its  one  pillar  the  trunl^, 
and  its  walls  the  branches  that  bent  down  to 
enter  the  ground  and  take  root.  It  made  a 
delightful  shelter  from  the  broiling  sun. 
And  here  Kai  Bok-su  preached.  But  a  ban- 
yan does  not  give  perfect  shelter  in  all  kinds 
of  weather,  so  when  a  number  of  people  had 
declared  themselves  followers  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  a  large  house  was  rented  and  fitted  up 


160      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

as  a  chapel,  with  another  native  pastor 
oyer  it. 

Away  oyer  at  Kelnng  a  church  was 
founded  through  a  man  who  had  carried  the 
gospel  home  from  one  of  the  missionary's 
sermons.  Here  and  there  the  hepaticas  were 
springing  up.  From  all  sides  came  inyita- 
tions  to  preach  the  great  news  of  the  true 
God,  and  the  young  missionary  gaye  himself 
scarcely  time  to  eat  or  sleep.  He  worked 
like  a  giant  himself,  and  he  inspired  the 
same  spirit  in  the  students  that  accompanied 
him.  He  was  like  a  Napoleon  among  his  sol- 
diers. Whereyer  he  went  they  would  go, 
eyen  though  it  would  surely  mean  abuse  and 
might  mean  death.  And,  whereyer  they 
went,  they  brought  such  a  wonderful,  glad 
change  to  people's  hearts  that  they  were  like 
slaye-liberators  setting  captives  free. 

The  most  lawless  and  dangerous  region  in 
all  north  Formosa  was  that  surrounding  the 
small  town  of  Sa-kak-eng.  In  the  mountains 
near  by  lived  a  band  of  robbers  who  kept  the 
people  in  a  constant  state  of  dread  by  their 
terrible  deeds  of  plunder  and  murder.  Some- 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  161 

times  the  frightened  townspeople  would  help 
the  highwaymen  just  to  gain  their  good-will, 
and  such  treatment  only  made  them  bolder. 
Bands  of  them  would  even  come  down  into 
the  town  and  march  through  the  streets, 
frightening  every  one  into  flight.  They 
would  shout  and  sing,  and  their  favorite 
song  was  one  that  showed  how  little  they 
cared  for  the  laws  of  the  land. 

You  trust  the  mandarins, 
We  trust  the  mountains. 

So  the  song  went,  and  when  the  missionary 
heard  it  first  he  could  not  help  confessing 
that  after  all  it  was  a  sorry  job  trusting  the 
mandarins  for  protection. 

The  first  time  he  visited  the  place  with 
A  Hoa  they  were  stoned  and  driven  out.  But 
the  missionaries  came  back,  and  at  last  were 
allowed  to  preach.  And  then  converts  came 
and  a  church  was  established.  The  robber 
bands  received  no  more  assistance  from  the 
people,  and  were  soon  scattered  by  the  offi- 
cers of  the  law.  And  Sa-kak-eng  was  in 
peace  because  the  missionary  had  come. 


162      BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

But  there  was  one  place  Mackay  had  so 
far  scarcely  dared  to  enter.  Even  the  rob- 
ber-infested Sa-kak-eng  would  yield,  but 
Bang-kah  defied  all  efforts.  To  the  mission- 
arj^  it  was  the  Gibraltar  of  heathen  Formosa, 
and  he  longed  to  storm  it.  North,  south, 
east,  and  west  of  this  great  wicked  city 
churches  had  been  planted,  some  only  within 
a  few  miles  of  its  walls.  But  Bang-kah  still 
stood  frowning  and  unyielding.  It  had  al- 
ways been  very  bitter  against  outsiders  of  all 
kinds.  No  foreign  merchant  was  allowed  to 
do  business  in  Bang-kah,  so  no  wonder  the 
foreign  missionary  was  driven  out. 

Mackay  had  dared  to  enter  the  place,  be- 
ing of  the  sort  that  would  dare  anything.  It 
was  soon  after  he  had  settled  in  Formosa 
and  A  Hoa  had  accompanied  him.  The  re- 
sult had  been  a  riot.  The  streets  had  imme- 
diately filled  with  a  yelling,  cursing  mob 
that  pelted  the  two  missionaries  with  stones 
and  rotten  eggs  and  filth,  and  drove  them 
from  the  city. 

But  **  Mackay  never  knew  when  he  was 
beaten,"  as  a  fellow  worker  of  his  once  said, 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  163 

and  though  he  was  taking  desperate  chances, 
he  went  once  more  inside  the  walls  of  Bang- 
kah.  This  time  he  barely  escaped  with  his 
life,  and  the  city  authorities  forbade  every 
one,  on  pain  of  death,  to  lease  or  sell  prop- 
erty to  him  or  in  any  way  accommodate  the 
barbarian  missionary. 

But  meanwhile  Kai  Bok-su  was  keeping 
his  eye  on  Bang-kah,  and  when  the  territory 
around  had  been  possessed,  he  went  up  to 
Go-ko-khi  and  made  the  daring  proposition 
to  A  Hoa.  Should  they  go  up  again  and 
storm  the  citadel  of  heathenism?  And  A 
Hoa  answered  promptly  and  bravely,  '^Let 
us  go." 

So  one  day  early  in  December,  when  the 
winter  rains  had  commenced  to  pour  down, 
these  two  marched  across  the  plain  and  into 
Bang-kah.  By  keeping  quiet  and  avoiding 
the  main  thoroughfare,  they  managed  to 
rent  a  house.  It  was  a  low,  mean  hovel  in 
a  dirty,  narrow  street,  but  it  was  inside  the 
forbidden  city,  and  that  was  something.  The 
two  daring  young  men  then  procured  a  large 
sheet  of  paper,  printed  on  it  in  Chinese  char- 


164      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

acters  ^^ Jesus'  Temple,"  and  pasted  it  on 
the  door.  This  announced  what  they  had 
come  for,  and  they  awaited  results. 

Presently  there  came  the  heavy  tramp, 
tramp  of  feet  on  the  stone  pavement. 
Mackay  and  A  Hoa  looked  out.  A  party  of 
soldiers,  armed  with  spears  and  swords,  were 
returning  from  camp.  They  stopped  before 
the  hut  and  read  the  inscription.  They 
shouted  loud  threats  and  tramped  away  to 
report  the  affair  to  headquarters. 

In  a  short  time,  with  a  great  noise  and 
tramping,  once  more  soldiers  were  at  the 
door.  Mackay  walked  out  and  faced  them 
quietly.  The  general  had  given  orders  that 
the  barbarian  must  leave  this  house  imme- 
diately, the  soldier  declared  in  a  loud  voice. 
The  place  belonged  to  the  military  authori- 
ties. 

^^Show  me  your  proof,"  said  Mackay 
calmly.  His  bold  behavior  demanded  re- 
spectful treatment,  so  the  soldier  produced 
the  deed  for  the  property. 

**I  respect  your  law,"  said  Mackay  after 
he  examined  it,  *^and  my  companion  and  I 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  165 

will  vacate.  But  I  have  paid  rent  for  this 
place,  therefore  I  am  entitled  to  remain  for 
the  night.    I  will  not  go  out  until  morning." 

His  firm  words  and  fearless  manner  had 
their  effect  both  on  the  soldiers  and  the 
noisy  mob  waiting  for  him  outside,  and  the 
men,  muttering  angrily,  turned  away.  That 
night  Mackay  and  A  Hoa  lay  on  a  dirty 
grass  mat  on  the  mud  floor.  The  place  was 
damp  and  filthy,  but  even  had  it  been  com- 
fortable they  would  have  had  little  sleep. 
For,  far  into  the  night,  angry  soldiers  pa- 
raded the  street.  Often  their  voices  rose  to 
a  clamor  and  they  would  make  a  rush  for 
the  frail  door  of  the  little  hut.  Many  times 
the  two  young  fellows  arose,  believing  their 
last  hour  had  come.  But  the  long  night 
passed  and  they  found  that  they  were  still 
left  untouched. 

They  rose  early  and  started  out.  Already 
a  great  mob  filled  the  space  in  front  of  the 
house.  Even  the  low  roofs  of  the  surround- 
ing houses  were  covered  with  people  all  out 
early  to  see  the  barbarian  and  his  despised 
companion  driven  from  Bang-kah,  and  per- 


166      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

haps  have  the  added  pleasure  of  witnessing 
their  death. 

The  two  walked  bravely  down  the  street. 
Curses  were  showered  upon  them  from  all 
sides;  broken  tiles,  stones,  and  filth  were 
thrown  at  them,  but  they  moved  on  steadily. 
The  mob  hampered  them  so  that  they  were 
hours  walking  the  short  distance  to  the 
river.  Here  they  entered  a  boat  and  went 
down  a  few  miles  to  a  point  where  a  chapel 
stood,  and  where  some  of  Mackay's  students 
awaited  them. 

But  the  man  who  *^did  not  know  when  he 
was  beaten"  had  not  turned  his  back  on  the 
enemy.  He  gathered  the  group  of  students 
around  him  in  the  little  room  attached  to  the 
chapel.  Here  they  all  knelt  and  the  young 
missionary  laid  their  trouble  before  the 
great  Captain  who  had  said,  *^A11  power  is 
given  unto  me."  *^Give  us  an  entrance  to 
Bang-kah,"  was  the  burden  of  the  mission- 
ary's prayer.  They  arose  from  their  knees, 
and  he  turned  to  A  Hoa  with  that  quick 
challenging  movement  his  students  had 
learned  to  know  so  well. 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  16T 

^^Come,"  he  said,  ^^we  are  going  back  ta 
Bang-kah." 

And  A  Hoa,  whose  habit  it  was  to  walk 
into  all  danger  with  a  smile,  answered  with 
all  his  heart : 

^'It  is  well,  Kai  Bok-su;  we  go  back  ta 
Bang-kah." 

And  straight  back  to  this  Gibraltar  the 
little  army  of  two  marched.  It  was  quite 
dark  by  the  time  they  entered.  A  Formosan 
city  is  not  the  blaze  of  electricity  to  which 
Westerners  are  accustomed,  and  only  here 
and  there  in  the  narrow  streets  shone  a  dim 
light.  The  travelers  stumbled  along,  scarcely 
knowing  whither  they  were  going.  As  they 
turned  a  dark  corner  and  plunged  into  an- 
other black  street  they  met  an  old  man  hob- 
bling with  the  aid  of  a  staff  over  the  uneven 
stones  of  the  pavement.  Mackay  spoke  ta 
him  politely  and  asked  if  he  could  tell  him 
of  any  one  who  would  rent  a  house.  ''We 
want  to  do  mission  work,"  he  added,  feeling^ 
that  he  must  not  get  anything  under  false 
pretenses. 

The  old  man  nodded.  ''Yes,  I  can  rent  you 


168      BLACK  BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

my  place,"  he  answered  readily.  ^^Come 
with  me." 

Full  of  amazement  and  gratitude  the  two 
adventurers  groped  their  way  after  him, 
:stumbling  over  stones  and  heaps  of  rubbish. 
They  could  not  help  realizing,  as  they  got 
farther  into  the  city,  that  should  the  old 
man  prove  false  and  give  an  alarm  the  whole 
murderous  populace  of  that  district  would 
be  around  them  instantly  like  a  swarm  of 
hornets.  But  whether  he  was  leading  them 
into  a  trap  or  not  their  only  course  was  to 
follow. 

At  last  he  paused  at  a  low  door  opening 
into  the  back  part  of  a  house.  The  old  man 
lighted  a  lamp,  a  pith  wick  in  a  saucer  of 
peanut  oil,  and  the  visitors  looked  around. 
"^The  room  was  damp  and  dirty  and  infested 
with  the  crawling  creatures  that  fairly 
^warm  in  the  Chinese  houses  of  the  lower 
order.  Eain  dripped  from  the  low  ceiling 
on  the  mud  floor,  and  the  meager  furniture 
was  dirty  and  sticky. 

But  the  two  young  men  who  had  found  it 
-were  delighted.    They  felt  like  the  advance 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  169 

guard  of  an  army  that  has  taken  the  enemy's 
first  outpost.  They  were  established  in 
Bang-kah !  They  set  to  work  at  once  to  draw 
out  a  rental  paper.  A  Hoa  sat  at  the  table 
and  wrote  it  out  so  that  they  might  be 
within  the  law  which  said  that  no  foreigner 
must  hold  property  in  Bang-kah.  When  the 
paper  was  signed  and  the  money  paid,  the 
old  man  crept  stealthily  away.  He  had  his 
money,  but  he  was  too  wary  to  let  his  fellow 
citizens  find  how  he  had  earned  it. 

As  soon  as  morning  came  the  little  army 
in  the  midst  of  the  hostile  camp  hoisted  its 
banner.  When  the  citizens  of  Bang-kah 
awoke,  they  found  on  the  door  of  the  hut  the 
hated  sign^  in  large  Chinese  characters, 
** Jesus'  Temple." 

In  less  than  an  hour  the  street  in  front  of 
it  was  thronged  with  a  shouting  crowd.  Be- 
fore the  day  was  past  the  news  spread,  and 
the  whole  city  was  in  an  uproar.  By  the 
next  afternoon  the  excitement  had  reached 
white  heat,  and  a  wild  crowd  of  men  came 
roaring  down  the  street.  They  hurled  them- 
selves at  the  little  house  where  the  mission- 


170   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

aries  were  waiting  and  literally  tore  it  to 
splinters.  The  screams  of  rage  and  triumph 
were  so  horrible  that  they  reminded  Mackay 
of  the  savage  yells  of  the  head-hunters. 

When  the  mob  leaped  upon  the  roof  and 
tore  it  off,  the  two  hunted  men  slipped  out 
through  a  side  door,  and  across  the  street 
into  an  inn.  The  crowd  instantly  attacked 
it,  smashing  doors,  ripping  the  tiles  off  the 
roof,  and  uttering  such  bloodthirsty  howls 
that  they  resembled  wild  beasts  far  more 
than  human  beings.  The  landlord  ordered 
the  missionaries  out  to  where  the  mob  was 
waiting  to  tear  them  limb  from  limb. 

It  was  an  awful  moment.  To  go  out  was 
instant  death,  to  remain  merely  put  off  the 
end  a  few  moments.  Mackay,  knowing  his 
source  of  help,  sent  up  a  desperate  prayer 
to  his  Father  in  heaven. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  strange  lull  in  the 
street  outside.  The  yells  ceased,  the  crash- 
ing of  tiles  stopped.  The  door  opened,  and 
there  in  his  sedan-chair  of  state  surrounded 
by  his  bodyguard,  appeared  the  Chinese 
mandarin.    And  just  behind  him — ^blessed 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  171 

sight  to  the  eyes  of  Kai  Bok-su — ^Mr.  Scott, 
the  British  consul  of  Tamsui ! 

Without  a  word  the  two  British-borrt 
clasped  hands.  It  was  not  an  occasion  for 
words.  There  was  immediately  a  council  of 
war.  The  mandarin  urged  the  British  con- 
sul  to  send  the  missionary  out  of  the  city. 

*^I  have  no  authority  to  give  such  an 
order,"  retorted  Mr.  Scott  quickly.  ^^On 
the  other  hand  you  must  protect  him  while 
he  is  here.    He  is  a  British  subject." 

Mackay's  heart  swelled  with  pride.  And 
he  thanked  God  that  his  Empire  had  such 
a  worthy  representative. 

Having  again  impressed  upon  the  man- 
darin that  the  missionary  must  be  protected 
or  there  would  be  trouble,  Mr.  Scott  set  off 
for  his  home.  Mackay  accompanied  him  to 
the  city  gate.  Then  he  turned  and  walked 
back  through  the  muttering  crowds  straight 
to  the  inn  he  had  left.  He  stopped  occa- 
sionally to  pull  a  tooth  or  give  medicine  for 
malaria,  for  even  in  Bang-kah  he  had  a  few 
friends. 

The  mandarin  was  now  as  much  afraid  of 


in      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

the  missionary  as  if  he  had  been  the  plague. 
He  knew  he  dared  not  allow  him  to  be 
touched,  and  he  also  knew  he  had  very  little 
power  over  a  mob.  He  was  responsible,  too, 
to  men  in  higher  office,  for  the  control  of 
the  people,  and  would  be  severely  punished 
if  there  was  a  riot.  He  was  indeed  in  a  very 
bad  way  when  he  heard  that  the  troublesome 
missionary  had  come  back,  and  he  followed 
him  to  the  inn  to  try  to  induce  him  to  leave. 

He  found  Mackay  with  A  Hoa,  quietly 
seated  in  their  room.  First  he  commanded, 
then  he  tried  to  bribe,  and  then  he  even  de- 
scended to  beg  the  ^ ^foreign  devil"  to  leave 
the  city.    But  Mackay  was  immovable. 

**I  cannot  leave,"  he  said,  touched  by  the 
man's  distress.  ^^I  cannot  quit  this  city  until 
I  have  preached  the  gospel  here."  He  held 
up  his  forceps  and  his  Bible.  ^^See!  I  use 
these  to  relieve  pain  of  the  body,  and  this 
gives  relief  from  sin, — the  disease  of  the 
soul.  I  cannot  go  until  I  have  given  your 
people  the  benefit  of  them." 

The  mandarin  went  away  enraged  and 
l)affled.     He  could  not  persuade  the  man  to 


CITIES  CAPTURED  AND  FORTS  BUILT  173' 

go;  he  dared  not  drive  liim  out.  He  left  a 
squad  of  soldiers  to  guard  the  place,  how- 
ever, remembering  the  British  consul's 
warning. 

In  a  few  days  the  excitement  subsided- 
People  became  accustomed  to  seeing  the  bar- 
barian teacher  and  his  companion  go  about 
the  streets.  Many  were  relieved  of  much 
pain  by  him  too,  and  a  large  number  listened! 
with  some  interest  to  the  new  doctrine  he^ 
taught  concerning  one  God. 

He  had  been  there  a  week  when  some 
prominent  citizens  came  to  him  with  a  polite 
offer.  They  would  give  him  free  a  piece  of 
ground  outside  the  city  on  which  to  build  a 
church.  Kai  Bok-su's  flashing  black  eyes, 
at  once  saw  the  bribe.  They  wanted  to  coax 
him  out  when  they  could  not  drive  him.  He 
refused  politely  but  firmly. 

**I  own  that  property,"  he  declared,  point- 
ing to  the  heap  of  ruins  into  which  his  house 
had  been  turned,  ^^and  there  I  will  build  a 
church.'' 

They  did  everything  in  their  power  to  pre- 
vent  him,  but  one  day,  many  months  af ter^ 


174   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

right  on  the  site  where  they  had  literally 
torn  the  roof  from  above  him,  arose  a  pretty 
little  stone  church,  and  that  was  the  begin- 
ning of  great  things  in  Bang-kah. 

And  so  Gibraltar  was  taken, — taken  by  an 
anny  of  two, — a  Canadian  missionary  and  a 
Chinese  soldier  of  the  King,  for  behind  them 
stood  all  the  army  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  and 
He  led  them  to  victory ! 


OTHEE  CONQUESTS 


CHAPTER   IX 

OTHER   CONQUESTS. 

AWAY  over  on  the  east  of  the  island  ran 
a  range  of  beautiful  mountains.  And 
between  these  mountains  and  the  sea 
stretched  a  low  rice  plain.  Here  lived  many 
Pe-po-hoan, — '* Barbarians  of  the  plain." 
Mackay  had  never  visited  this  place,  for  the 
Kap-tsu-lan  plain,  as  it  was  called,  was  very 
hard  to  reach  on  account  of  the  mountains ; 
but  this  only  made  the  dauntless  missionary 
all  the  more  anxious  to  visit  it. 

So  one  day  he  suggested  to  his  students,  as 
they  studied  in  his  house  on  the  bluff,  that 
they  make  a  journey  to  tell  the  people  of 
Kap-tsu-lan  the  story  of  Jesus.  Of  course, 
the  young  fellows  were  delighted.  To  go 
off  with  Kai  Bok-su  was  merely  transferring 
their  school  from  his  house  to  the  big  beauti- 
ful outdoors.   For  he  always  taught  them  by; 

177 


178      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

the  way,  and  besides  they  were  all  eager  to 
go  with  him  and  help  spread  the  good  news 
that  had  made  such  a  difference  in  their 
lives.  So  when  Kai  Bok-su  piled  his  books 
upon  a  shelf  and  said,  ^*Let  us  go  to  Kap- 
tsu-lan,"  the  young  fellows  ran  and  made 
their  preparations  joyfully.  A  Hoa  was  in 
Tamsui  at  the  time,  and  Mackay  suggested 
that  he  come  too,  for  a  trip  without  A  Hoa 
was  robbed  of  half  its  enjoyment. 

Mackay  had  just  recovered  from  one  of 
those  violent  attacks  of  malaria  from  which 
he  suffered  so  often  now,  and  he  was  still 
looking  pale  and  weak.  So  Sun-a,  a  bright 
young  student-lad,  came  to  the  study  door 
with  the  suggestion,  '^Let  us  take  Lu-a  for 
Kai  Bok-su  to  ride." 

There  was  a  laugh  from  the  other  students 
and  an  indulgent  smile  from  Kai  Bok-su 
himself.  Lu-a  was  a  small,  rather  stubborn- 
looking  donkey  with  meek  eyes  and  a  little 
rat  tail.  He  was  a  present  to  the  missionary 
from  the  English  conmaissioner  of  customs 
at  Tamsui,  when  that  gentleman  was  leaving 
the  island.    Donkeys  were  commonly  used 


OTHER    CONQUESTS 179 

on  the  mainland  of  China,  and  though  an  an- 
imal was  scarcely  ever  ridden  in  Formosa, 
horses  being  almost  unknown,  the  commis- 
sioner did  not  see  why  his  Canadian  friend, 
who  was  an  introducer  of  so  many  new 
things,  should  not  introduce  donkey-riding. 
So  he  sent  him  Lu-a  as  a  farewell  present 
and  leaving  this  token  of  his  good-will  de- 
parted for  home. 

Up  to  this  time  Lu-a  had  served  only  as  a 
pet  and  a  joke  among  the  students,  and  high 
times  they  had  with  him  in  the  grassy  field 
behind  the  missionary's  house  when  lessons 
were  over.  In  great  glee  they  brought  him 
round  to  the  door  now,  ^^all  saddled  and 
bridled"  and  ready  for  the  trip.  The  mis- 
sionary mounted,  and  Lu-a  trotted  meekly 
along  the  road  that  wound  down  the  bluff 
toward  Kelung.  The  students  followed  in 
high  spirits.  The  sight  of  their  teacher 
astride  the  donkey  was  such  a  novel  one  to 
them,  and  Lu-a  was  such  a  joke  at  any  time, 
that  they  were  filled  with  merriment.  All 
went  well  imtil  they  left  the  road  and  turned 
into  a  path  that  led  across  the  buffalo  com- 


180      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

mon.  At  the  end  of  it  they  came  to  a  ravine 
about  fifteen  feet  deep.  Over  this  stretched 
a  plank  bridge  not  more  than  three  feet  wide. 
Here  Lu-a  came  to  a  sudden  stop.  He  had 
no  mind  to  risk  his  small  but  precious  body- 
on  that  shaky  structure.  His  rider  bade 
Mm  *^go  on,"  but  the  command  only  made 
Lu-a  put  back  his  ears,  plant  his  fore  feet 
well  forward  and  stand  stock  still.  In  fact 
he  looked  much  more  settled  and  immovable 
than  the  bridge  over  which  he  was  being 
urged.  The  students  gathered  round  him 
and  petted  and  coaxed.  They  called  him 
**Good  Lu-a"  and  *^ Honorable  Lu-a"  and 
every  other  flattering  title  calculated  to 
move  his  donkeyship,  but  Lu-a  flattened  his 
ears  back  so  he  could  not  hear  and  would 
not  move.  So  Mackay  dismounted  and  tried 
the  plan  of  pulling  him  forward  by  the 
bridle  while  some  of  the  boys  pushed  him 
from  behind.  Lu-a  resented  this  treatment, 
especially  that  from  the  rear,  and  up  went 
his  heels,  scattering  students  in  every  direc- 
tion ;  and  to  discomfit  the  enemy  in  front  he 
opened  his  mouth  and  gave  forth  such  loud 


OTHER    CONQUESTS  181 

resonant  brays  that  the  ravine  fairly  rang 
with  his  music. 

A  balking  donkey  is  rather  amusing  to 
boys  of  any  country,  but  to  these  Formosan 
lads  who  had  had  no  experience  with  one  the 
sound  of  Lu-a's  harsh  voice  and  the  sight  of 
his  flying  heels  brought  convulsions  of  mer- 
riment. ' '  He 's  pounding  rice !  He 's  pound- 
ing rice !"  shouted  the  wag  of  the  party,  and 
his  companions  flung  themselves  upon  the 
grass  and  rolled  about  laughing  themselves 
sick. 

With  his  followers  rendered  helpless  and 
his  steed  continuing  stubborn,  Mackay  saw 
the  struggle  was  useless.  He  could  not  com- 
pete alone  with  Lu-a's  firmness,  so  he  gave 
orders  that  the  obstinate  little  obstructer 
of  their  journey  be  trotted  back  to  his 
pasture. 

**And  to  think  that  any  one  of  us  might 
have  carried  the  little  rascal  over!"  he  cried 
as  he  watched  the  donkey  meekly  depart. 
His  students  looked  at  the  little  beast  with 
something  like  respect.  Lu-a  had  beaten  the 
dauntless  Kai  Bok-su  who  had  never  before 


182   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

been  beaten  by  anything.  He  was  indeed  a 
marvelous  donkey! 

So  the  journey  to  the  Kap-tsu-lan  plain 
was  made  on  foot.  It  was  a  very  wearisome 
one  and  often  dangerous.  The  mountain 
paths  were  steep  and  difficult  and  the  trav- 
elers knew  that  often  the  head-hunters 
lurked  near.  But  the  way  was  wonderfully 
beautiful  nevertheless.  Standing  on  a  moun- 
tain height  one  morning  and  looking  away 
down  over  wooded  hills  and  valleys  and  the 
lake-like  terraces  of  the  rice-fields,  Mackay 
repeated  to  his  students  a  line  of  the  old 
hymn: 

Every  prospect  pleases  and  only  man  is  vile. 

Around  them  the  stately  tree-fern  lifted  its 
lovely  fronds  and  the  orchids  dotted  the 
green  earth  like  a  flock  of  gorgeous  butter- 
flies just  settled.  Tropical  birds  of  brilliant 
plumage  flashed  among  the  trees.  Beside 
them  a  great  tree  raised  itself,  fairly  covered 
with  morning-glories,  and  over  at  their  right 
a  mountainside  gleamed  like  snow  in  the 


OTHER    CONQUESTS  183 

sunliglit,  clothed  from  top  to  bottom  with 
white  lilies. 

But  the  way  had  its  dangers  as  well  as  its 
beauties.  They  were  passing  the  mouth  of  a 
ravine  when  they  were  stopped  by  yells  and 
screams  of  terror  coming  from  farther  up 
the  mountainside.  In  a  few  minutes  a  Chi- 
naman darted  out  of  the  woods  toward  them. 
His  face  was  distorted  with  terror  and  he 
could  scarcely  get  breath  to  tell  his  horrible 
story.  He  and  his  four  companions  had 
been  chipping  the  camphor  trees  up  in  the 
woods;  suddenly  the  armed  savages  had 
leaped  out  upon  them  and  he  alone  of  the 
five  had  escaped. 

At  last  they  left  the  dangerous  mountain 
and  came  down  into  the  Kap-tsu-lan  plain. 
On  every  side  was  rice-field  after  rice-field, 
with  the  water  pouring  from  one  terrace  to 
another.  The  plain  was  low  and  damp  and 
the  paths  and  roads  lay  deep  in  mud.  They 
had  a  long  toilsome  walk  between  the  rice- 
fields  until  they  came  to  the  first  village  of 
these  barbarians  of  the  plain.  It  was  very- 
much  like  a  Chinese  village, — dirty,  noisy^ 


184      BLACK   BEARDED    BARBARIAN 

and  swarming  with   wild-looking   children 
and  wolfish  dogs. 

The  visitors  were  received  with  the  utmost 
disdain.  The  Chinese  students  were  of 
course  well  known,  for  these  aborigines  had 
long  ago  adopted  their  customs  and  lan- 
guage. But  the  Chinese  visitors  were  in 
company  with  the  foreigners,  and  all  for- 
eigners were  outcaste  in  this  eastern  plain. 
The  men  shouted  the  familiar  ^^foreign 
devil"  and  walked  contemptuously  away. 
The  dirty  women  and  children  fled  into  their 
grass  huts  and  set  the  dogs  upon  the  stran- 
gers. They  tried  by  all  sorts  of  kindnesses 
to  gain  a  hearing,  but  all  to  no  effect.  So 
they  gave  it  up,  and  plodded  through  the 
mud  and  water  a  mile  farther  on  to  the  next 
village.  But  village  number  two  received 
them  in  exactly  the  same  way.  Only  rough 
words  and  the  barks  of  cruel  dogs  met  them. 
The  next  village  was  no  better,  the  fourth  a 
little  worse.  And  so  on  they  went  up  and 
down  the  Kap-tsu-lan  plain,  sleeping  at 
night  in  some  poor  empty  hut  or  in  the 
shadow  of  a  rice  strawstack,  eating  their 


OTHER    CONQUESTS  185 

meals  of  cold  rice  and  buffalo-meat  by  the 
wayside,  and  being  driven  from  village  to 
village,  and  receiving  never  a  word  of  wel- 
come. 

And  all  through  those  wearisome  days  the 
young  men  looked  at  their  leader  in  vain  for 
any  smallest  sign  of  discouragement  or  in- 
clination to  retreat.  There  was  no  slightest 
look  of  dismay  on  the  face  of  Kai  Bok-su, 
for  how  was  it  possible  for  a  man  who  did 
not  know  when  he  was  beaten  to  feel  dis- 
couraged? So  still  undaunted  in  the  face 
of  defeat,  he  led  them  here  and  there  over 
the  plain,  hoping  that  some  one  would  surely 
relent  and  give  them  a  hearing. 

One  night,  footsore  and  worn  out,  they 
slept  on  the  damp  mud  floor  of  a  miserable 
hut  where  the  rain  dripped  in  upon  their 
faces.  In  the  morning  prospects  looked 
rather  discouraging  to  the  younger  members 
of  the  party.  They  were  wet  and  cold  and 
weary,  and  there  seemed  no  use  in  going 
again  and  again  to  a  village  only  to  be 
turned  away.  But  Kai  Bok-su's  mouth  was 
as  firm  as  ever,  and  his  dark  eyes  flashed 


186      BLACK  BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

resolutely,  as  once  more  lie  gave  the  order 
fo  march.  It  was  a  lovely  morning,  the  sun 
was  rising  gloriously  out  of  the  sea  and  the 
heavy  mists  were  melting  from  above  the 
little  rice-fields.  Here  and  there  fairy  lakes 
gleamed  out  from  the  rosy  haze  that  rolled 
back  toward  the  mountains.  They  walked 
along  the  shore  in  the  pink  dawn-light  and 
marched  up  toward  a  fishing  village.  They 
had  visited  it  before  and  had  been  driven 
away,  but  Kai  Bok-su  was  determined  to 
fry  again.  They  were  surprised  as  they 
came  nearer  to  see  three  men  come  out  to 
meet  them  with  a  friendly  expression  on 
their  faces. 

The  foremost  was  an  old  man  who  had 
been  nicknamed  ^'Black-face,''  because  of 
his  dark  skin.  The  second  was  a  middle- 
aged  man,  and  the  third  was  a  young  fellow 
about  the  age  of  the  students.  They  saluted 
the  travelers  pleasantly,  and  the  old  man  ad- 
dressed the  missionary. 

**You  have  been  going  through  and 
through  our  plain  and  no  one  has  received 
you,"  he  said  politely.    ^*Come  to  our  vil- 


OTHER    CONQUESTS 187 

lage,  and  we  will  now  be  ready  to  listen  to 
you.^^ 

The  door  of  Kap-tsu-lan  had  opened  at 
last!  The  missionary's  eyes  gleamed  with 
joy  and  gratitude  as  he  accepted  the  invita- 
tion. The  delegation  led  the  visitors  straight 
to  the  house  of  the  headman.  For  the  Pe- 
po-hoan  governed  their  communities  in  the 
Chinese  style  and  had  a  headman  for  each 
village.  The  missionary  party  eat  down  in 
front  of  the  hut  on  some  large  flat  stones 
and  talked  over  the  matter  with  the  chief 
and  other  important  men.  And  while  they 
talked  ^* Black-face"  slipped  away.  He  re- 
turned in  a  few  moments  with  a  breakfast 
of  rice  and  fish  for  the  visitors. 

The  result  of  the  conference  was  that  the 
villagers  decided  to  give  the  barbarian  a 
chance.  All  he  wanted  it  seemed  was  to  tell 
of  this  new  Jehovah-religion  which  he  be- 
lieved, and  surely  there  could  be  no  great 
harm  in  listening  to  him  talk. 

In  the  evening  the  headman  with  the  help 
of  some  friends  set  to  work  to  construct  a 
meeting-house.  A  tent  was  erected,  made 
from  boat  sails.    Several  flat  stones  laid  at 


188       BLACK   BEARDED    BARBARIAN 

one  end  and  a  planl^  placed  upon  them  made 
a  pulpit.  And  that  was  the  first  church  on 
the  Kap-tsu-lan  plain !  There  was  a  *^  church 
bell"  too,  to  call  the  people  to  worship.  In 
the  village  were  some  huge  marine  shells 
with  the  ends  broken  off.  In  the  old  days 
these  were  used  by  the  chiefs  as  trumpets  by 
which  they  called  their  men  together  when- 
ever they  were  starting  out  on  the  war-path. 
But  now  the  trumpet-shell  was  used  to  call 
the  people  to  follow  the  King.  Just  at  dark 
a  man  took  one,  and  walking  up  and  down 
the  straggling  village  street  blew  loudly — 
the  first  ^* church  bell"  in  east  Formosa. 

The  loud  roar  brought  the  villagers  flock- 
ing down  to  the  tent-church  by  the  shore. 
For  the  most  part  they  brought  their  pews 
with  them.  They  came  hurrying  out  of  their 
huts  carrying  benches,  and  arranging  them 
in  rows  they  seated  themselves  to  listen. 

Mackay  and  the  students  sang  and  the 
people  listened  eagerly.  The  Pe-po-hoan  by 
nature  were  more  musical  than  the  Chinese, 
and  the  singing  delighted  them.  Then  the 
missionarv  arose  and  addressed  them.    He 


OTHER    CONQUESTS  189 

told  clearly  and  simply  why  he  had  come  and 
preached  to  them  of  the  true  God.  After-^ 
ward  the  congregation  was  allowed  to  ask 
questions,  and  they  learned  much  of  this  God 
and  of  his  love  in  his  Son  Jesus  Christ. 

The  wonder  of  the  great  news  shone  in 
the  eyes  upturned  to  the  preacher.  In  the 
gloom  of  the  half -lighted  tent  their  dark 
faces  took  on  a  new  expression  of  half -won- 
dering hope.  Could  it  be  possible  that  this 
was  true  ?  Their  poor,  benighted  minds  had 
always  been  held  in  terror  of  their  gods  and 
of  the  evil  spirits  that  forever  haunted  their 
footsteps.  Could  it  be  possible  that  God 
was  a  great  Father  who  loved  his  children  ? 
They  asked  so  many  eager  questions,  and  the 
story  of  Jesus  Christ  had  to  be  told  over  and 
over  so  many  times,  that  before  this  first 
church  service  ended  a  gray  gleam  of  dawn 
was  spreading  out  over  the  Pacific. 

It  was  only  the  next  day  that  these  newly- 
awakened  people  decided  that  they  must 
have  a  church  building.  And  they  went  to 
work  to  get  one  in  a  way  that  might  have 
shamed  a  congregation  of  people  in  a  Chris- 


190      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

tian  land.  This  new  wonderful  hope  that 
had  been  raised  in  their  hearts  by  the  knowl- 
edge that  God  loved  them  set  them  to  work 
with  glad  energy.  Kai  Bok-su  and  his  men 
still  preached  and  prayed  and  sang  and 
taught  in  the  crazy  old  wind-flapped  tent  by 
the  seashore,  and  the  people  listened 
eagerly,  and  then,  when  services  were  over, 
every  one, — preacher,  assistants,  and  con- 
gregation,— set  bravely  to  work  to  build 
a  church.  Brave  they  certainly  had  to  be, 
for  at  the  very  beginning  they  had  to  risk 
their  lives  for  their  chapel.  A  party  sailed 
down  the  coast  and  entered  savage  territory 
for  the  poles  to  construct  the  building.  They 
were  attacked  and  one  or  two  were  badly 
wounded,  though  they  managed  to  escape. 
But  they  were  quite  ready  to  go  back  and 
fight  again  had  it  been  necessary.  Then  they 
made  the  bricks  for  the  walls.  Rice  chaff 
mixed  with  clay  were  the  materials,  and  the 
Kap-tsu-lan  plain  had  an  abundance  of  both. 
The  roof  was  made  of  grass,  the  floor  of 
hard  dried  earth,  and  a  platform  of  the  same 
at  one  end  served  as  a  pulpit. 


OTHER    CONQUESTS  191 

When  the  little  chapel  was  finished,  every 
evening  the  big  shell  rang  out  its  summons 
through  the  village;  and  out  from  every 
house  came  the  people  and  swarmed  into  the 
chapel  to  hear  Kai  Bok-su  explain  more  o£ 
the  wonders  of  God  and  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ. 

Mackay's  home  during  this  period  was  a 
musty  little  room  in  a  damp  mud-walled 
hut;  and  here  every  day  he  received  dona- 
tions of  idols,  ancestral  tablets,  and  all  sorts 
of  things  belonging  to  idol- worship.  He  was 
requested  to  burn  them,  and* often  in  the 
mornings  he  dried  his  damp  clothes  and 
moldy  boots  at  a  fire  made  from  heathen 
idols. 

For  eight  weeks  the  missionary  party  re- 
mained in  this  place,  preaching,  teaching, 
and  working  among  the  people.  It  was  a 
mystery  to  the  students  how  their  teacher 
found  time  for  the  great  amount  of  Bible 
study  and  prayer  which  he  managed  to  get. 
He  surely  worked  as  never  man  worked  be- 
fore. Late  at  night,  long  after  every  one 
else  was  in  bed,  he  would  be  bending  over 


192   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

his  Bible,  beside  Ms  peanut-oil  lamp,  and 
early  in  the  morning  before  the  stars  had 
disappeared  he  was  up  and  at  work  again. 
Four  hours'  sleep  was  all  his  restless,  active 
mind  could  endure,  and  with  that  he  could 
do  work  that  would  have  killed  any  ordinary 
man. 

One  evening  some  new  faces  looked  up  at 
him  from  his  congregation  in  the  little  brick 
church.  When  the  last  hymn  was  sung  the 
missionary  stepped  down  from  his  pulpit 
and  spoke  to  the  strangers.  They  explained 
that  they  were  from  the  next  village.  They 
had  heard  rumors  of  this  new  doctrine,  and 
had  been  sent  to  find  out  more  ahout  it. 
They  had  been  charmed  with  the  singing,  for 
that  evening  over  two  hundred  voices  had 
joined  in  a  ringing  praise  to  the  new  Je- 
hovah-God. They  wanted  to  hear  more,  they 
said,  and  they  wanted  to  know  what  it  was 
all  about.  Would  Kai  Bok-su  and  his  stu- 
dents deign  to  visit  their  village  too  ? 

Would  he?  Why  that  was  just  what  he 
was  longing  to  do.  He  had  been  driven  out 
of  that  village  by  dogs  only  a  few  weeks  be- 


OTHER    CONQUESTS  193 

fore,  but  a  little  thing  like  that  did  not  mat- 
ter to  a  man  like  Mackay.  This  village  lay 
but  a  short  distance  away,  being  connected 
with  their  own  by  a  path  winding  here  and 
there  between  the  rice-fields.  Early  the  next 
evening  Mackay  formed  a  procession.  He 
placed  himself  at  its  head,  with  A  Hoa  at 
his  side.  The  students  came  next,  and  then 
the  converts  in  a  double  row.  And  thus  they 
marched  slowly  along  the  pathway  singing 
as  they  went.  It  was  a  stirring  sight.  On 
either  side  the  waving  fields  of  rice,  behind 
them  the  gleam  of  the  blue  ocean,  before 
them  the  great  towering  mountains  clothed 
in  green.  Above  them  shone  the  clear  daz- 
zling sky  of  a  tropical  evening.  And  on 
wound  the  long  procession  of  Christians  in 
a  heathen  land,  and  from  them  arose  the 
glorious  words : 

0  thou,  my  soul,  bless  God  the  Lord, 
And  all  that  in  me  is 

Be  stirred  up  his  holy  name 
To  magnify  and  bless. 

And  the  heathen  in  the  rice-fields  stopped  to 
gaze  at  the  strange  sight,  and  the  mountains 


194      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

gave  back  the  echo  of  that  Name  which  is 
above  every  name. 

And  so,  marching  to  their  song,  the  pro- 
cession came  to  the  village.  Everybody  in 
the  place  had  come  out  to  meet  them  at  the 
first  sound  of  the  singing.  And  now  they 
stood  staring,  the  men  in  a  group  by  them- 
selves, the  women  and  children  in  the  back- 
ground, the  dogs  snarling  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  crowd. 

The  congregation  was  there  ready,  and 
without  waiting  to  find  a  place  of  meeting, 
right  out  under  the  clear  evening  skies,  the 
young  missionary  told  once  more  the  great 
story  of  God  and  his  love  as  shown  through 
Jesus  Christ.  The  message  took  the  village 
by  storm.  It  was  like  water  to  thirsty  souls. 
The  next  day  five  hundred  of  them  brought 
their  idols  to  the  missionary  to  be  burned. 

And  now  Mackay  went  up  and  down  the 
Kap-tsu-lan  plain  from  village  to  village  as 
he  had  done  before,  but  this  time  it  was  a 
triumphal  march.  And  everywhere  he  went 
throngs  threw  away  their  idols  and  declared 
themselves  followers  of  the  true  God. 


OTHER    CONQUESTS  195 

He  was  overcome  with  joy.  It  was  so 
glorious  he  wished  he  could  stay  there  the 
rest  of  his  life  and  lead  these  willing  people 
to  a  higher  life.  But  Tamsui  was  waiting; 
Sin-tiam,  Bang-kah,  Kelung,  Go-ko-khi, — 
they  must  all  be  visited ;  and  finally  he  tore 
himself  away,  leaving  some  of  his  students 
to  care  for  these  people  of  Kap-tsu-lan. 

But  he  came  back  many  times,  until  at 
last  nineteen  chapels  dotted  the  plain,  and 
in  them  nineteen  native  preachers  told  the 
story  of  Jesus  and  his  love.  Sometimes,  in 
later  years,  when  Mackay  was  with  them, 
tears  would  roll  down  the  people's  faces  as 
they  recalled  how  badly  they  had  used  him 
on  his  first  visit. 

It  was  while  on  his  third  visit  here  that  he 
had  a  narrow  escape  from  the  head-hunters. 
He  was  staying  at  a  village  called  ^^  South 
Wind  Harbor,"  which  was  near  the  border 
of  savage  territory.  Mackay  often  walked 
on  the  shore  In  the  evening  just  before  the 
meeting,  always  with  a  book  in  his  hand. 
One  night  he  was  strolling  along  in  deep 
meditation  when  he  noticed  some  extremely 


196   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

large  turtle  tracks  in  the  sand.  He  followed 
them,  for  he  liked  to  watch  the  big  clumsy 
creatures.  These  green  turtles  were  from 
four  to  five  feet  in  length.  They  would  come 
waddling  up  from  the  sea,  scratch  a  hole  in 
the  sand  with  their  flippers,  lay  their  eggs, 
cover  them  carefully,  and  with  head  erect 
and  neck  out-thrust  waddle  back.  Mackay 
was  intensely  interested  in  all  the  animal 
life  of  the  island  and  made  a  study  of  it 
whenever  he  had  a  chance.  He  knew  the 
savages  killed  and  ate  these  turtles,  but  he 
supposed  he  was  as  yet  too  near  the  village 
to  be  molested  by  them.  So  he  followed  the 
tracks  and  was  nearing  the  edge  of  the  for- 
est, when  he  heard  a  shout  behind  him.  As 
he  turned,  one  of  his  village  friends  came 
running  out  of  his  hut  waving  to  him  fran- 
tically to  come  back.  Thinking  some  one 
must  be  ill,  Mackay  hurried  toward  the  man, 
to  find  that  it  was  he  himself  who  was  in 
danger.  The  man  explained  breathlessly 
that  it  was  the  habit  of  the  wily  savages  to 
make  marks  in  the  sand  resembling  turtle 
tracks  to  lure  people  into  the  forest.    If  Kai 


OTHER    CONQUESTS  197 

Bok-su  had  entered  the  woods,  his  head 
would  certainly  have  been  lost. 

It  was  always  hard  to  say  farewell  to  Kap- 
tsu-lan,  the  people  were  so  warm-hearted,  so 
kind,  and  so  anxious  for  him  to  stay.  One 
morning  just  before  leaving  after  his  third 
visit,  Mackay  had  an  experience  that  brought 
him  the  greatest  joy. 

He  had  stayed  all  night  at  the  little  fish- 
ing village  where  the  first  chapel  had  been 
built.  As  usual  he  was  up  with  the  dawn, 
and  after  his  breakfast  of  cold  boiled  rice 
and  pork  he  walked  down  to  the  shore  for 
a  farewell  look  at  the  village.  As  he  passed 
along  the  little  crooked  street  he  could  see 
old  women  sitting  on  the  mud  floors  of  their 
huts,  by  the  open  door,  weaving.  They  were 
all  poor,  wrinkled,  toothless  old  folk  with 
faces  seamed  by  years  of  hard  heathen  ex- 
perience. But  in  their  eyes  shone  a  new 
light,  the  reflection  of  the  glory  that  they  had 
seen  when  the  missionary  showed  them  Jesus 
their  Savior.  And  as  they  threw  their 
thread  their  quavering  voices  crooned  the 
sweet  words : 


198   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

There  is  a  happy  land 
Far,  far  away. 

And  their  old  weary  faces  were  lighted  up 
with  a  hope  and  happiness  that  had  never 
been  there  in  youth. 

Kai  Bok-su  smiled  as  he  passed  their 
doors  and  his  eyes  were  misty  with  tender 
tears. 

Just  before  him,  playing  on  the  sand  with 
^^ jacks''  or  tops,  just  as  he  had  played  not 
so  very  long  ago  away  back  in  Canada,  were 
the  village  boys.  And  as  they  played  they 
too  were  singing,  their  little  piping  voices, 
sweet  as  birds,  thrilling  the  morning  air. 
And  the  words  they  sang  were : 

Jesus  loves  me,   this  I   know, 
For  the  Bible  tells  me  so. 

They  nodded  and  smiled  to  Kai  Bok-su  as 
he  passed.  He  went  down  to  the  shore  where 
the  wide  Pacific  flung  long  rollers  away  up 
the  hard-packed  sand.  The  fishermen  were 
going  out  to  sea  in  the  rosy  morning  light, 
and  as  they  stood  up  in  their  fishing-smacks, 


OTHER    CONQUESTS  199 

and  swept  their  long  oars  through  the  surf, 
they  kept  time  to  the  motion  with  singing. 
And  their  strong,  brave  voices  rang  out 
above  the  roar  of  the  breakers : 

I'm  not  ashamed  to  own  my  Lord, 
Or  to  defend  his  cause. 

And  standing  there  on  the  sunlit  shore  the 
young  missionary  raised  his  face  to  the 
gleaming  blue  heavens  with  an  emotion  of 
unutterable  joy  and  thanksgiving.  And  in 
that  moment  he  knew  what  was  that  glory 
for  which  he  had  so  vaguely  longed  in  child- 
ish years.  It  was  the  glory  of  work  accom- 
plished for  his  Master's  sake,  and  he  was 
realizing  it  to  the  full. 


EEENFORCEMENTS 


CHAPTER   X 

KEENFORCEMENTS 

OOME  of  Mackay's  happiest  days  were 
^  spent  with  his  students.  He  was  such 
a  wonder  of  a  man  for  work  himself  that 
he  inspired  every  one  else  to  do  his  best,  so 
the  young  men  made  rapid  strides  with  their 
lessons.  No  matter  how  busy  he  was,  and 
he  was  surely  one  of  the  busiest  men  that 
ever  lived,  he  somehow  found  time  for  them» 
Sometimes  in  his  house,  sometimes  on  the 
road,  by  the  seashore,  under  a  banyan  tree, 
here  and  there  and  everywhere,  the  mission- 
ary and  his  pupils  held  their  classes.  If  he 
went  on  a  journey,  they  accompanied  him 
and  studied  by  the  way.  And  it  was  a  fa- 
miliar sight  on  north  Formosan  roads  or 
field  paths  to  see  Mackay,  always  with  his 
book  in  one  hand  and  his  big  ebony  stick 
under  his  arm,  walking  along  surrounded  by 
a  group  of  young  men. 

203 


PILGRIM  CONGREGATIONAL  CHUWGM, 
ST.  LOUIS.  MO. 

g04   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

Sometimes  there  were  as  many  as  twenty 
in  the  student-band,  but  somewhere  in  the 
country  a  new  church  would  open,  and  the 
brightest  of  the  class  would  be  called  away 
to  be  its  minister.  But  just  as  often  a  young 
Christian  would  come  to  the  missionary  and 
ask  if  he  too  might  not  be  trained  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Whether  at  home  or  abroad,  pupils  and 
teacher  had  to  resort  to  all  sorts  of  means  to 
get  away  for  an  uninterrupted  hour  to- 
gether. For  Kai  Bok-su  was  always  in  de- 
mand to  visit  the  sick  or  sad  or  troubled. 

There  was  a  little  kitchen  separate  from 
the  house  on  the  bluff,  and  over  this  Mackay 
with  his  students  built  a  second  story.  And 
here  they  would  often  slip  away  for  a  little 
quiet  time  together.  One  night,  about  eleven 
o'clock,  Mackay  was  here  alone  poring  over 
his  books.  The  young  men  had  gone  home 
to  bed  except  two  or  three  who  were  in  the 
kitchen  below.  Some  papers  had  been 
dropped  over  a  pipe-hole  in  the  floor  of  the 
room  where  Mackay  was  studying,  and  for 
some  time  he  had  been  disturbed  by  a  rus- 


it    J        1    '^ 


REENFORCEMENTS  205 

tling  among  them.  At  last  without  looking 
up,  he  called  to  his  boys  below:  *^I  think 
there  are  rats  up  here  among  my  papers!'^ 

Koa  Kau,  one  of  the  younger  of  the  stu- 
dents, ran  lightly  up  the  stairs  to  give  battle 
to  the  intruders.  What  was  his  horror  when 
he  saw  fully  three  feet  of  a  monster  serpent 
sticking  up  through  the  pipe-hole  and  wav- 
ing its  horrible  head  in  the  air  just  a  little 
distance  from  Kai  Bok-su's  chair. 

The  boy  gave  a  shout,  darted  down  the 
stair,  and  with  a  sharp  stick,  pinned  the 
body  of  the  snake  to  the  wall  below.  The 
creature  became  terribly  violent,  but  Koa 
Kau  held  on  valiantly  and  Mackay  seized  an 
old  Chinese  spear  that  happened  to  be  in  the 
room  above  and  pierced  the  serpent  through 
the  head.  They  pulled  its  dead  body  down 
into  the  kitchen  below  and  spread  it  out. 
It  measured  nine  feet.  The  students  would 
not  rest  until  it  was  buried,  and  the  remem- 
brance of  the  horrible  creature's  visit  for 
some  time  spoiled  the  charm  of  the  little 
upper  room. 

The  rocks  at  Kelung  harbor  were  another 


^06   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

favorite  spot  for  this  little  traveling  uni- 
versity to  hold  its  classes.  Sometimes  they 
would  take  their  dinner  and  row  out  in  a  lit- 
tle sampan  to  the  rocks  outside  the  harbor 
and  there,  undisturbed,  they  would  study  the 
whole  day  long. 

They  always  began  the  day's  work  with  a 
prayer  and  a  hymn  of  praise,  and  no  matter 
what  subjects  they  might  study,  most  of  the 
time  was  spent  on  the  greatest  of  books. 
After  a  hard  morning's  work  each  one  would 
gather  sticks,  make  a  fire,  and  they  would 
have  their  dinner  of  vegetables,  rice,  and 
pork  or  buffalo-meat.  Then  there  were 
oysters,  taken  fresh  off  the  rocks,  to  add  to 
their  bill  of  fare. 

At  five  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  strain 
of  study  was  beginning  to  tell,  they  would 
vary  the  program.  One  or  two  of  the  boys 
would  take  a  plunge  into  the  sea  and  bring 
up  a  subject  for  study, — a  shell,  some  living 
coral,  sea-weed,  sea-urchins,  or  some  such 
treasure.  They  would  examine  it,  and  Kai 
Bok-su,  always  delighted  when  on  a  scien- 
tific subject,  would  give  them  a  lesson  in 


REENFORCEMENTS  207 

natural  history.  And  he  saw  with  joy  how 
the  wonders  of  the  sea  and  land  opened  these 
young  men's  minds  to  understand  what  a 
great  and  wonderful  God  was  theirs,  who 
had  made  *Hhe  heaven  and  the  earth  and  the 
sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is." 

When  they  visited  a  chapel  in  the  country, 
they  had  a  daily  program  which  they  tried 
hard  to  follow.  They  studied  until  four 
o'clock  every  afternoon  and  all  were  trained 
in  speaking  and  preaching.  After  four  they 
made  visits  together  to  Christians  or 
heathen,  speaking  always  a  word  for  their 
Master.  Every  evening  a  public  service  was 
held  at  which  Mackay  preached.  These  ser- 
mons were  an  important  part  of  the  young 
men's  training,  for  he  always  treated  the 
gospel  in  a  new  way.  A  Hoa,  who  was 
Mackay 's  companion  for  the  greater  part  of 
sixteen  years,  stated  that  he  had  never  heard 
Kai  Bok-su  preach  the  same  sermon  twice. 

On  the  whole  the  students  liked  their  col- 
lege best  when  it  was  moving.  For  on  the 
road,  while  their  principal  gave  much  time 
to  the  Bible  and  how  to  present  the  gospel, 


208   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

he  would  enliven  their  walks  by  conversing 
about  everything  by  the  way  and  making  it 
full  of  interest.  The  structure  of  a  wayside 
flower,  the  geological  formation  of  an  over- 
hanging rock,  the  composition  of  the  soil  of 
the  tea  plantations,  the  stars  that  shone  in 
the  sky  when  night  came  down  upon  them ; 
— all  these  made  the  traveling  college  a  de- 
light. 

Although  his  days  were  crammed  with 
work,  Mackay  found  time  to  make  friends 
among  the  European  population  of  the 
island.  They  all  liked  and  admired  him,  and 
many  of  them  tried  to  help  the  man  who 
was  giving  his  life  and  strength  so  com- 
pletely to  others.  They  were  familiar  with 
his  quick,  alert  figure  passing  through  the 
streets  of  Tamsui,  with  his  inevitable  book 
and  his  big  ebony  cane.  And  they  would 
smile  and  say,  ^* There  goes  Mackay ;  he's  the 
busiest  man  in  China."  ^ 

The  British  consul  in  the  old  Dutch  fort 
and  the  English  commissioner  of  customs 
proved  true  and  loyal  friends.    The  repre- 

^  See  page  290.    Formosa  becomes  Japanese  territory. 


REENFORCEMENTS  209 

sentatives  of  foreign  business  firms,  too, 
were  always  ready  to  lend  him  a  helping 
hand  where  possible.  His  most  useful 
friends  were  the  foreign  medical  men.  They 
helped  him  very  much.  They  not  only  did 
all  they  could  for  his  own  recovery  when 
malaria  attacked  him,  but  they  helped  also 
to  cure  his  patients.  Traveling  scientists 
always  gave  him  a  visit  to  get  his  help  and 
advice.  He  had  friends  that  were  ship- 
captains,  officers,  engineers,  merchants,  and 
British  consuls.  Everybody  knew  the  won- 
derful Kai  Bok-su.  **  Whirlwind  Mackay," 
some  of  them  called  him,  and  they  knew  and 
admired  him  with  the  true  admiration  that 
only  a  brave  man  can  inspire. 

The  friends  to  whom  he  turned  for  help  of 
the  best  kind  were  the  English  Presbyteri- 
ans in  south  Formosa.  They,  more  than  any 
others,  knew  his  trials  and  difficulties.  They 
alone  could  enter  with  true  sympathy  into 
all  his  triumphs.  At  one  time  Dr.  Campbell, 
one  of  the  south  Pormosan  missionaries, 
paid  him  a  visit.  He  proved  a  delightful 
companion,  and  together  the  two  made  a 


210      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

tour  of  the  mission  stations.  Dr.  Campbell 
preached  wherever  they  went  and  was  a 
great  inspiration  to  the  people,  as  well  as  to 
the  students  and  to  the  missionary  himself. 

One  evening,  when  they  were  in  Kelung, 
Mackay,  with  his  insatiable  desire  to  use 
every  moment,  suggested  that  they  spend 
ten  days  without  speaking  English,  so  that 
they  might  improve  their  Chinese.  Dr. 
Campbell  agreed,  and  they  started  their 
** Chinese  only."  Next  morning  from  the 
first  early  call  of  **Liong  tsong  khi  lai," 
**A11,  all,  up  come,"  not  one  word  of  their 
native  tongue  did  they  speak.  They  had  a 
long  tramp  that  morning  and  there  was 
much  to  talk  about  and  the  conversation  was 
all  in  Chinese,  according  to  the  bargain.  Dr. 
Campbell  was  ahead,  and  after  an  hour's 
talk  he  suddenly  turned  upon  his  compan- 
ion: *^ Mackay!"  he  exclaimed,  'Hhis  jab- 
bering in  Chinese  is  ridiculous,  and  two 
Scotchmen  should  have  more  sense;  let  us 
return  to  our  mother  tongue."  Which  ad- 
vice Mackay  gladly  followed. 

His  next  visitor  was  the  Eev.  Mr.  Ritchie 


REENFORCEMENTS  211 

from  south  Formosa,  one  of  the  friends  who 
had  first  introduced  him  to  his  work.  Every- 
day of  his  visit  was  a  joy.  With  nine  of 
Mackay's  students,  the  two  missionaries  set 
out  on  a  trip  through  the  north  Formosa 
mission  that  lasted  many  weeks. 

But  the  more  pleasant  and  helpful  such 
companionship  was  the  more  alone  Mackay 
felt  when  it  was  over.  His  task  was  becom- 
ing too  much  for  one  man.  He  was  wanted 
on  the  northern  coast,  at  the  southern  bound- 
ary of  his  mission  field,  and  away  on  the 
Kap-tsu-lan  plain  all  at  once.  He  was 
crowded  day  and  night  with  work.  What 
with  preaching,  dentistry,  attending  the  sick, 
training  his  students,  and  encouraging  the 
new  churches,  he  had  enough  on  his  hands 
for  a  dozen  missionaries. 

But  now  at  last  the  Church  at  home,  in 
far-away  Canada,  bestirred  herself  to  help 
him.  They  had  been  hearing  something  of 
the  wonderful  mission  in  Formosa,  but  they 
had  heard  only  hints  of  it,  for  Mackay  would 
not  confess  how  he  was  toiling  day  and  night 
and  how  the  work  had  grown  until  he  was 


212       BLACK   BEARDED    BARBARIAN 

not  able  to  overtake  it  alone.  But  the  Church 
understood  something  of  his  need,  and  they 
now  sent  him  the  best  present  they  could 
possibly  give, — an  assistant.  Just  three 
years  after  Mackay  had  landed  in  Formosa, 
the  Eev.  J.  B.  Fraser,  M.  D.,  and  his  wife 
and  little  ones  arrived.  He  was  a  young 
man,  too,  vigorous  and  ready  for  work.  Be- 
sides being  an  ordained  minister,  he  was  a 
physician  as  well,  just  exactly  what  the 
north  Formosan  mission  needed. 

Along  with  the  missionary,  the  Church 
had  sent  funds  for  a  house  for  him  and  also 
one  for  Mackay.  So  the  poor  old  Chinese 
house  on  the  bluff  was  replaced  by  a  modern, 
comfortable  dwelling,  and  by  its  side  an- 
other was  built  for  the  new  missionary  and 
his  family.  One  room  of  Mackay 's  house 
was  used  as  a  study  for  his  students. 

After  the  houses  were  built  and  the  new 
doctor  was  able  to  use  the  language,  he  be- 
gan to  fill  a  long-felt  want.  Mackay  had  al- 
ways done  a  little  medical  work,  and  the 
foreign  doctor  of  Tamsui  had  been  most 
kind  in  giving  his  aid,  but  a  doctor  of  his 


The  Rev.  J.  B.  Fraser,  M.D. 

"BEilDES   BEING   AN   ORDAINED   MINISTER,    HE   WAS  A   PHYSICIAN 
AS    well"  '     ^  ■,  ,       , 


REENFORCEMENTS  213 

own,  a  missionary  doctor,  was  exactly  what 
Kai  Bok-su  wanted.  Soon  the  sick  began 
to  hear  of  the  wonders  the  missionary  doc- 
tor could  perform,  and  they  flocked  to  him 
to  be  cured. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  there  were 
not  already  doctors  in  north  Formosa. 
There  were  many  in  Tamsui  alone,  and  very 
indignant  they  were  at  this  new  barbarian's 
success.  But  the  native  doctors  were  about 
the  worst  trouble  that  the  people  had  to  bear. 
Their  medical  knowledge,  like  their  religion, 
was  a  mixture  of  ignorance  and  superstition, 
and  some  of  their  practises  would  have  been 
inexcusable  except  for  the  fact  that  they 
themselves  knew  no  better.  There  were  two 
classes  of  medical  men ;  those  who  treated  in- 
ternal diseases  and  those  who  professed  to 
cure  external  maladies.  It  was  hard  to  judge 
which  class  did  the  more  mischief ,  but  per- 
haps the  *  inside  doctors"  killed  more  of 
their  patients.  Dog's  flesh  was  prescribed 
as  a  cure  for  dyspepsia,  a  chip  taken  from  a 
coffin  and  boiled  and  the  water  drunk  was  a 
remedy  for  catarrh,  and  an  apology  made  to 


214       BLACK   BEARDED    BARBARIAN 

the  moon  was  a  si)ecific  for  wind-roughened 
skin.  For  the  dreaded  malaria,  the  scourge 
of  Formosa,  the  young  Canadian  doctor 
found  many  and  amazing  remedies  pre- 
scribed, some  worse  than  the  disease  itself. 
The  native  doctors  believed  malaria  to  be 
caused  by  two  devils  in  a  patient,  one  caus- 
ing the  chills,  the  other  the  fever.  One  of 
the  commonest  remedies,  and  one  that  was 
quite  as  sensible  as  any  of  the  rest,  was  to 
tie  seven  hairs  plucked  from  a  black  dog 
around  the  sick  one's  wrist. 

But  when  the  barbarian  doctor  opened  his 
dispensary  in  Tamsui,  a  new  era  dawned  for 
the  poor  sick  folk  of  north  Formosa.  The 
work  went  on  wonderfully  well  and  Mackay 
found  so  much  more  time  to  travel  in  the 
country  that  the  gospel  spread  rapidly. 

But  just  when  prospects  were  looking  so 
fair  and  every  one  was  happy  and  hopeful, 
a  sad  event  darkened  the  bright  outlook  of 
the  two  missionaries.  The  young  doctor  had 
cured  scores  of  cases,  and  had  brought  health 
and  happiness  to  many  homes,  but  he  was 
powerless  to  keep  death  from  his  own  door. 


REENFORCEMENTS  215 

And  one  day,  a  sad  day  for  the  mission  of 
north  Formosa,  the  mother  was  called  from 
husband  and  little  ones  to  her  home  and  her 
reward  in  heaven. 

So  the  home  on  the  bluff,  the  beautiful 
Christian  home,  which  was  a  pattern  for  all 
the  Chinese,  was  broken  up.  The  young  doc- 
tor  was  compelled  to  leave  his  patients,  and 
taking  his  motherless  children  he  returned 
with  them  to  Canada. 

The  church  at  home  sent  out  another 
helper.  The  Rev.  Kenneth  Junor  arrived 
one  year  later,  and  once  more  the  work  re- 
ceived a  fresh  impetus.  And  then,  just 
about  two  years  after  Mr.  Junor 's  arrival, 
Kai  Bok-su  found  an  assistant  of  his  own 
right  in  Formosa,  and  one  who  was  destined 
to  become  a  wonderful  help  to  him.  And  so 
one  bright  day,  there  was  a  wedding  in  the 
chapel  of  the  old  Dutch  fort,  where  the  Brit- 
ish consul  married  George  Leslie  Mackay  to 
a  Formosan  lady.  Tui  Chhang  Mai,  her 
name  had  been.  She  was  of  a  beautiful 
Christian  character  and  for  a  long  time  she 
had  been  a  great  help  in  the  church.    But  as. 


^16   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

Mrs.  Mackay  she  proved  a  marvelous  assist- 
ance to  her  husband. 

It  had  long  been  a  great  grief  to  the  mis- 
sionary that,  while  the  men  would  come  in 
crowds  to  his  meetings,  the  poor  women  had 
to  be  left  at  home.  Sometimes  in  a  congre- 
gation of  two  hundred  there  would  be  only 
two  or  three  women.  Chinese  custom  made 
it  impossible  for  a  man  missionary  to  preach 
to  the  women.  Only  a  few  of  the  older  ones 
came  out.  So  the  mothers  of  the  little  chil- 
dren did  not  hear  about  Jesus  and  so  could 
not  teach  their  little  ones  about  him. 

But  now  everything  was  changed  for 
them.  They  had  a  lady-missionary,  and  one 
of  their  own  people  too.  The  Mackays  went 
on  a  wedding-trip  through  the  country.  Kai 
Bok-su  walked,  as  usual,  and  his  wife  rode 
in  a  sedan-chair.  The  wedding-trip  was 
really  a  missionary  tour ;  for  they  visited  all 
the  chapels,  and  the  women  came  to  the 
meetings  in  crowds,  because  they  wanted  to 
hear  and  see  the  lady  who  had  married  Kai 
Bok-su.  Often,  after  the  regular  meetings 
when  the  men  had  gone  away,  the  women 


Mrs.  George  L.  Mackay 

BUT  AS  MRS.   MACKAY    SHE  PROVED  OF    MARVELOUS    ASSISTANCE 
TO   HER    husband" 


REENFORCEMENTS  217 

would  crowd  in  and  gather  round  Mrs.  Mac- 
kay  and  she  would  tell  them  the  story  of 
Jesus  and  his  love. 

Tt  was  a  wonderful  wedding-journey  and 
it  brought  a  double  blessing  wherever  the 
two  went.  Their  experiences  were  not  all 
pleasant.  One  day  they  traveled  over  a  sand 
plain  so  hot  that  Mackay's  feet  were  blis- 
tered. Another  time  they  were  drenched 
with  rain.  One  afternoon  there  came  up  a 
terrific  wind  storm.  It  blew  Mrs.  Mackay's 
sedan-chair  over  and  sent  her  and  the  car- 
riers flying  into  the  mud  by  the  roadside. 
At  another  place  they  all  barely  escaped 
drowning  when  crossing  a  stream.  But  the 
brave  young  pair  went  through  it  all  daunt- 
lessly.  The  wife  had  caught  something  of 
her  husband's  great  spirit  of  sacrifice,  and 
he  was  always  the  man  on  fire,  utterly  for- 
getful of  self. 

For  two  years  they  worked  happily  to- 
gether and  at  last  a  great  day  came  to  Kai- 
Bok-su.  He  had  been  nearly  eight  years  in 
Formosa.  It  was  time  he  came  home,  the 
Church  in  Canada  said,  for  a  little  rest  and 


218       BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

to  tell  the  people  at  home  something  of  his 
great  work. 

And  so  he  and  his  Formosan  wife  said 
good-by,  amid  tears  and  regrets  on  all  sides, 
and  leaving  Mr.  Junor  in  charge  with  A  Hoa 
to  help,  they  set  sail  for  Canada.  It  was 
just  a  little  over  seven  years  since  he  had 
settled  in  that  little  hut  by  the  river,  de- 
spised and  hated  by  every  one  about  him; 
and  now  he  left  behind  him  twenty  chapels, 
each  with  a  native  preacher  over  it,  and  hun- 
dreds of  warm  friends  scattered  over  all 
north  Formosa. 

He  was  not  quite  the  same  Mackay  who 
had  stood  on  the  deck  of  the  America  seven 
years  before.  His  eyes  were  as  bright  and 
daring  as  ever  and  his  alert  figure  as  full  of 
energy,  but  his  face  showed  that  his  life  had 
been  a  hard  one.  And  no  wonder,  for  he  had 
endured  every  kind  of  hardship  and  priva- 
tion in  those  seven  years.  He  had  been 
mobbed  times  without  number.  He  had 
faced  death  often,  and  day  and  night  since 
his  first  year  on  the  island  his  footsteps  had 
been  dogged  by  the  torturing  malaria. 


REENFORCEMENTS  219 

But  he  was  still  the  great,  brave  Mackay 
and  his  home-coming  was  like  the  return  of 
a  hero  from  battle.  He  went  through  Can- 
ada preaching  in  the  churches,  and  his  words 
were  like  a  call  to  arms.  He  swept  over  the 
country  like  one  of  his  own  Pormosan  winds, 
carrying  all  before  him.  Wherever  he 
preached  hearts  were  touched  by  his  thrill- 
ing tales,  and  purses  opened  to  help  in  his 
work.  Queen's  University  made  him  a  Doc- 
tor of  Divinity ;  Mrs.  Mackay,  a  lady  of  De- 
troit, gave  him  money  enough  to  build  a  hos- 
pital; and  his  home  county,  Oxford,  pre- 
sented him  with  $6,215  with  which  to  build  a 
college. 

He  visited  his  old  home  and  had  many 
long  talks  of  his  childhood  days  with  his 
loved  ones.  And  he  was  reminded  of  the  big 
stone  in  the  pasture-field  which  he  was  so  de- 
termined to  break.  And  he  thanked  his 
heavenly  Father  for  allowing  him  to  break 
the  great  rock  of  heathenism  in  north  For- 
mosa. 

He  returned  to  his  mission  work  more 
on  fire  than  ever.    If  he  had  been  received 


ggO   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

with  acclaim  in  his  native  land,  his  Pormo- 
san  friends'  welcome  was  not  less  warm. 
Crowds  of  converts,  all  his  students  who 
were  not  too  far  inland,  and  among  them, 
Mr.  Junor,  his  face  all  smiles,  were  throng- 
ing the  dock,  many  of  them  weeping  for  joy. 
It  was  as  if  a  long-absent  father  had  come 
back  to  his  children. 

The  work  went  forward  now  by  leaps  and 
bounds.  Mackay  's  first  thought,  after  a  hur- 
ried visit  to  the  chapels  and  their  congrega- 
tions, was  to  see  that  the  hospital  and  college 
were  built. 

All  day  long  the  sound  of  the  builders 
could  be  heard  up  on  the  bluff  near  the  mis- 
sionaries'  houses,  and  in  a  wonderfully  short 
time  there  arose  two  beautiful,  stately  build- 
ings. Mackay  hospital  they  called  one,  not 
for  Kai  Bok-su — ^he  did  not  like  things 
named  for  him — ^but  in  memory  of  the  hus- 
band of  the  kind  lady  who  had  furnished  the 
money  for  it.  The  school  for  training  young 
men  in  the  ministry  was  called  Oxford  Col- 
lege, in  honor  of  the  county  whose  people 
had  made  it  possible. 


•J    >     J     J 


REENFORCEMENTS  221 

Oxford  College  stood  just  overlooking  the 
Tamsui  river,  two  hundred  feet  above 
its  waters.  The  building  was  116  feet  long 
and  67  feet  wide,  and  was  built  of  small  red 
bricks  brought  from  across  the  Formosa 
Channel.  A  wide,  airy  hall  ran  down  the 
middle  of  the  building,  and  was  used  as  a 
lecture-room.  On  either  side  were  rooms 
capable  of  accommodating  fifty  students 
and  apartments  for  two  teachers  and  their 
families.  There  were,  besides,  two  smaller 
lecture-rooms,  a  museum  filled  with  treas- 
ures collected  from  all  over  Formosa  by  Dr. 
Mackay  and  his  students,  a  library,  a  bath- 
room, and  a  kitchen. 

The  grounds  about  the  college  and  hos- 
pital were  very  beautiful.  Nature  had  given 
one  of  the  finest  situations  to  be  found  about 
Tamsui,  and  Kai  Bok-su  did  the  rest.  The 
climate  helped  him,  for  it  was  no  great  task 
to  have  a  luxurious  garden  in  north  For- 
mosa. So,  in  a  few  years  there  were  magni- 
ficent trees  and  hedges,  and  always  glorious 
flower  beds  abloom  all  the  time  around  the 
missionary  premises. 


m%      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

But  all  this  was  not  accomplished  without 
great  toil,  and  Kai  Bok-su  appeared  never 
to  rest  in  those  building  days.  It  seemed 
impossible  that  one  man  should  work  so 
hard.  He  was  in  Tamsui  superintending 
the  hospital  building  to-day,  and  away  off 
miles  in  the  country  preaching  to-morrow. 
He  never  seemed  to  get  time  to  eat,  and  he 
certainly  slept  less  than  his  allotted  four 
hours. 

A  great  disappointment  was  pending, 
however,  and  one  he  saw  coming  nearer 
every  day.  The  trying  Pormosan  climate 
was  proving  too  much  for  his  young  assis- 
tant, and  one  sad  day  he  stood  on  the  dock 
and  saw  Mr.  Junor,  pale  and  weak  and 
broken  in  health,  sail  away  back  to  Canada. 

But  there  was  always  a  brave  soldier  wait- 
ing to  step  into  the  breach,  and  the  next  year 
Kai  Bok-su  had  the  joy  of  welcoming  two 
new  helpers,  when  the  Rev.  Mr.  Jamieson 
and  his  wife  came  out  from  Canada  and  set- 
tled in  the  empty  house  on  the  bluff.  Yes, 
and  in  time  there  came  to  his  own  house 
other  helpers — very  little  and  helpless  at 


REENFORCEMENTS  223 

first  they  were — ^but  they  soon  made  the 
house  ring  with  happy  noise  and  filled  the 
hearts  of  their  parents  with  joy. 

There  were  two  ladies  now  to  lead  in  the 
work  for  girls  and  women.  Their  sisters 
in  Canada  came  to  their  help  too.  The 
young  men  had  a  school  in  Formosa,  and 
why  should  there  not  be  a  school  for  women 
and  girls  ?  they  asked.  And  so  the  Women's 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  Canada  sent 
to  Dr.  Mackay  money  to  build  one.  It  took 
only  two  months  to  erect  it.  It  stood  just  a 
few  rods  from  Oxford  College,  and  was  a 
fine,  airy  building.  Here  a  native  preacher 
and  his  wife  took  up  their  abode  and  with 
the  help  of  Mrs.  Mackay  and  two  other  na- 
tive Christian  women  they  strove  to  teach 
the  girls  of  north  Formosa  how  to  make 
beautiful  Christian  homes. 

And  now  to  the  two  missionaries  every 
prospect  seemed  bright.  The  college,  the 
girls'  school,  the  hospital,  were  all  in  splen- 
did working  order.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jamieson 
were  giving  their  best  assistance.  A  Hoa 
and  the  other  native  pastors  were  working 


^24   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

faithfully.  God's  blessing  seemed  to  be 
showering  down  upon  the  work  and  on  every 
side  were  signs  of  growth.  *And  then,  right 
from  this  shining  sky,  there  fell  a  storm  of 
such  fierceness  that  it  threatened  to  wipe  out 
completely  the  whole  north  Formosan  mis- 
sion. 


UNEXPECTED  BOMBARDMENT 


CHAPTER  XI 

UNEXPECTED  BOMBAEDMENT 

AN  enemy's  battle-ships  off  the  coast  of 
Formosa!  During  all  the  spring  ru- 
mors of  trouble  had  been  coming  across  the 
channel  from  the  mainland.  France  ^  and 
China  had  been  quarreling  over  a  boundary- 
line  in  Tongking.  The  affair  had  been  set- 
tled but  not  in  a  way  that  pleased  France. 
So,  without  even  waiting  to  declare  war,  she 
sent  a  fleet  to  the  China  Sea  and  bombarded 
some  of  her  enemy's  ports.  Formosa,  of 
course,  came  in  for  her  share  of  the  trouble, 
and  it  was  early  in  the  summer  that  the 
French  battle-ships  appeared.  They  hove 
in  sight,  sailing  down  the  Formosa  Channel 
or  Strait  one  hot  day,  and  instantly  all  For- 
mosa was  in  an  uproar  of  alarm  and  rage. 
The  rage  was  greater  than  the  alarm,  for 

1  War  in  1844. 

227 


BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

China  cordially  despised  all  peoples  beyond 
her  own  border,  and  felt  that  the  barbarians 
would  probably  be  too  feeble  to  do  them  any 
harm.  But  that  the  barbarians  should  dare 
to  approach  their  coast  with  a  war- vessel! 
That  was  a  terrible  insult,  and  the  fierce  in- 
dignation of  the  people  knew  no  bounds. 
Their  rage  broke  out  against  all  foreigners. 
They  did  not  distinguish  between  the  mis- 
sionary from  British  soil  and  the  French 
soldiers  on  their  enemy's  vessels.  They 
were  all  barbarians  alike,  the  Chinese  de- 
clared, and  as  such  were  the  deadly  foe  of 
China.  This  Kai  Bok-su  was  in  league  with 
the  French,  and  the  native  Christians  all 
over  Formosa  were  in  league  with  him,  and 
all  deserved  death ! 

So  hard  days  came  for  the  Christians  of 
north  Formosa.  Wherever  there  was  a 
house  containing  converts,  there  was  riot 
and  disorder.  For  bands  of  enraged 
heathen,  armed  with  knives  and  swords, 
would  parade  the  streets  about  them  and 
threaten  all  with  a  violent  death  the  moment 
the  French  fired  a  shot. 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT      229 

In  some  places  near  the  coast  the  Chris- 
tian people  dared  not  leave  their  houses,  and 
whenever  they  sent  out  their  children  to  buy 
food,  often  a  heathen  neighbor  would  catch 
them,  brandish  knives  over  the  terrified  lit- 
tle ones'  heads  and  declare  they  would  all  be 
cut  to  pieces  when  the  barbarian  ships  came 
into  port. 

Every  hour  of  the  day  and  often  in  the 
night,  letters  came  from  all  parts  of  the 
country  to  Dr.  Mackay.  They  were  brought 
by  runners  who  came  at  great  peril  of  their 
lives,  and  were  sent  by  the  poor  Christians. 
Each  letter  told  the  same  tale ;  the  lives  and 
property  of  all  the  converts  were  in  grave 
danger  if  the  enemy  did  not  leave.  And 
they  all  asked  Kai  Bok-su  to  do  something 
to  help  them. 

Now  Kai  Bok-su  was  a  man  with  great 
power  and  influence  both  in  Formosa  and  in 
his  far-off  Canada,  but  he  had  no  means  of 
bringing  that  power  to  bear  on  the  French. 
And  indeed  his  own  life  was  in  as  great  dan- 
ger as  any  one's. 

He  wrote  to  the  Christians  comforting 


230   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

them  and  enthusing  them  with  his  own 
spirit.  He  bade  them  all  be  brave,  and  no 
matter  what  came,  danger  or  torture  or 
death  itself,  they  must  be  true  to  Jesus 
Christ.  He  went  about  his  work  in  the  col- 
lege or  hospital  just  as  usual,  though  he 
knew  that  any  day  the  angry  mob  from  the 
town  below  might  come  raging  up  to  destroy 
and  kill. 

The  French  had  entered  Kelung  harbor 
and  the  danger  was  growing  more  serious 
every  day  when  Mackay  found  it  necessary 
to  go  to  Palm  Island,  a  pretty  islet  in  the 
mouth  of  the  Kelung  river.  It  was  almost 
courting  death  to  go,  but  he  had  been  sent 
for,  and  he  went.  He  found  the  place  right 
under  the  French  guns  and  in  the  midst  of 
raging  Chinese.  Some  of  the  faithful  stu- 
dents were  there,  and  they  were  overcome 
with  joy  and  hope  at  the  sight  of  him.  He 
gathered  them  about  him  in  a  mission  house 
for  prayer  and  a  word  of  encouragement. 
Outside  the  Chinese  soldiers  paraded  up  and 
down.  Sometimes  indeed  they  would  burst 
into  the  room  and  threaten  the  inmates  with 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT      231 

violence  should  the  French  fire.  Kai  Bok-su 
went  on  quietly  talking  to  his  students.  He 
urged  them  to  be  faithful  and  reminded 
them  of  what  their  Master  suffered  at  the 
hands  of  a  mob  for  their  sake.  But,  in  spite 
of  their  brave  spirits,  the  little  company 
could  not  help  listening  for  the  boom  of  the 
French  guns.  It  was  fully  expected  that  the 
enemy  would  soon  fire,  and  when  they  did, 
the  Christians  well  knew  there  would  be  lit-^ 
tie  chance  for  them  to  escape. 

But  God  had  prepared  a  way  out  of  the 
difficulty.  The  meeting  was  scarcely  over 
when  a  messenger  came  in,  asking  for  the 
missionary.  A  Christian  on  the  mainland 
was  very  ill  and  wanted  Kai  Bok-su  to  visit 
him.  Mackay  with  his  students  left  the  is- 
land at  once  and  went  to  the  home  of  the 
sick  man. 

They  had  been  gone  but  a  short  time  when 
the  thunder  of  the  French  cannon  broke  over 
the  harbor.  The  guns  from  the  Chinese  fort 
answered,  and  had  the  missionary  been  on 
Palm  Island  he  and  his  converts  would 
surely  have  been  killed. 


^32   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

The  Chinese  were  no  match  for  the  French 
gunners.  The  bombardment  destroyed  the 
fort  and  killed  every  soldier  who  did  not 
manage  to  get  away.  A  great  shell  crashed 
into  the  magazine  of  the  fort,  and  the  ex- 
plosion hurled  masses  of  the  concrete  walls 
an  incredible  distance.  The  city  about  the 
fort  was  completely  deserted,  for  the  people 
fled  at  the  first  sound  of  the  guns. 

As  soon  as  the  firing  was  over,  the  rabble 
broke  loose  and  a  perfect  reign  of  terror 
prevailed.  The  mob  carried  black  flags  and 
swept  over  town  and  country,  plundering 
and  murdering.  The  Christians  were  of 
<30urse  the  first  object  of  attack,  and  to  tear 
down  a  church  was  the  mob's  fiercest  joy. 
Seven  of  the  most  beautiful  chapels  were 
completely  destroyed  and  many  others  in- 
jured. 

In  the  town  of  Toa-liong-pong  was  the 
iome  of  Koa  Kau,  one  of  Kai  Bok-su's  most 
devoted  students.  Here  was  a  lovely  chapel 
built  at  great  expense.  The  crowd  tore  it 
to  pieces  from  roof  to  foundation.  Then, 
out  of  the  bricks  of  the  ruin  they  erected  a 


L 


"In  the  Town  of   Tao-lioxg-pong  was  the  Home  of  Koa 

Kau" 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT     23S 

huge  pile,  eight  feet  high ;  they  plastered  it 
over  with  mud,  and  on  the  face  of  it,  next 
the  highway  where  every  one  might  see  it^ 
they  wrote  in  large  Chinese  characters: 

Mackay^  the  black-bearded  barbarian^ 
LIES  HERE.   His  work  is  ended. 

They  knew  that  the  first  was  not  true,  but 
they  firmly  believed  the  latter  statement,  for 
they  understood  little  of  the  power  of  the 
gospel. 

At  Sin-tiam  the  crowd  of  ruffians  smashed 
the  doors  and  windows  of  the  church.  Then 
they  took  the  communion  roll  and  read  aloud 
the  names  of  the  Christians  who  had  been 
baptized.  As  each  name  was  announced, 
some  of  the  murderers  would  rush  off  to- 
ward the  home  of  the  one  mentioned.  Here 
they  would  torture  and  often  kill  the  mem- 
bers  of  the  family.  The  native  preacher  and 
his  family  barely  escaped  with  their  lives. 
One  good  old  Christian  man  with  his  wife, 
both  over  sixty,  were  dragged  out  into  the 
deep  water  of  the  Sin-tiam  river.     Here 


^34       BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

they  were  given  a  choice.  If  they  gave  up 
Jesus  Christ,  their  lives  would  be  saved.  If 
they  still  remained  Christians,  they  would 
be  drowned  right  there  and  then.  The  brave 
old  couple  refused  to  accept  life  at  such  a 
cost. 

^*I'm  not  ashamed  to  own  my  Lord,"  was 
a  hymn  Kai  Bok-su  had  taught  them,  and 
they  had  meant  every  word  as  they  had 
sung  it  many  times  in  the  pretty  chapel  by 
the  river.  And  so  they  were  ^^not  ashamed" 
now.  -They  were  led  deeper  and  deeper  into 
the  water,  and  at  every  few  feet  the  way  of 
escape  was  offered,  but  they  steadily  re- 
fused, and  were  at  last  flung  into  the  river 
— faithful  martyrs  who  certainly  won  a 
crown  of  life. 

These  were  only  two  among  many  brave 
Christians  who  died  for  their  Master's  sake. 
Some  were  put  to  tortures  too  horrible  to 
tell  to  make  them  give  up  their  faith.  Some 
were  hung  by  their  hair  to  trees,  some  were 
kicked  or  beaten  to  death,  many  were  slashed 
with  knives  until  death  relieved  their  pain. 
lAnd  on  every  side  the  most  noble  Christian 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT     235 

heroism  was  shown.  In  all  ages  there  have 
been  those  who  died  for  their  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ;  and  these  Formosan  followers  of 
their  Master  proved  themselves  no  less 
faithful  than  the  martyrs  of  old. 

And  where  was  Kai  Bok-su  while  the  mob 
raged  over  the  country?  Going  about  his 
work  in  Tamsui  as  of  old.  Only  now  he 
worked  both  night  and  day,  and  the  anxiety 
for  his  poor  converts  kept  him  awake  in  the 
few  hours  when  he  might  have  snatched 
some  sleep.  He  was  here,  there,  everywhere 
at  once,  it  seemed,  writing  letters  to  encour- 
age the  Christians  in  distress,  visiting  those 
who  were  wavering  to  strengthen  their 
faith,  teaching  his  students,  praying,  preach- 
ing, night  and  day,  he  never  ceased;  and 
always  the  mob  surged  about  him  threaten- 
ing his  life. 

The  French  ships  now  sailed  out  of  Ke- 
lung  harbor  and  took  up  their  position  op- 
posite Tamsui.  Every  one  knew  this  prob- 
ably meant  bombardment,  and  Dr.  Mackay 
and  Mr.  Jamieson,  standing  on  the  bluff  be- 
fore their  houses,  looked  at  each  other  and 


^36   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

each  knew  the  other's  thought.  Bombard- 
ment would  mean  that  the  mob  would  come 
raging  up  and  destroy  both  life  and  prop- 
erty on  the  hill. 

But  just  as  they  expected  the  roar  of  gims 
to  open,  there  sailed  into  Tamsui  harbor  a 
vessel  that  flew  a  different  flag  from  the 
Prench.  Mackay,  looking  at  her  through 
a  glass,  made  out  with  joy  the  crosses  on  the 
red  banner  of  Britain !  England  had  noth- 
ing to  do  with  this  Chinese-French  war,  but 
as  a  British  vessel  can  be  found  lying  around 
almost  any  port  in  the  wide  world,  there  of 
course  happened  to  be  one  near  Tamsui. 
She  gained  a  passport  into  the  harbor  and 
sailed  in  with  a  very  kindly  mission ;  it  was 
to  protect  the  lives  of  foreigners,  not  only 
from  the  French  guns,  but  from  the  Chinese 
mobs. 

The  ship  had  been  in  the  harbor  but  a 
short  time  when  a  young  English  naval  offi- 
cer, carrying  the  British  flag,  came  up  the 
path  to  the  houses  on  the  bluff.  Dr.  Mackay 
w^as  in  the  library  of  Oxford  College,  lectur- 
ing to  his  students,  when  the  visitor  entered. 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT     23T 

The  missionary  made  the  sailor  welcome  and 
the  young  man  told  his  errand.  Dr.  Mackay 
was  invited  to  bring  his  family  and  his  valu- 
ables and  come  on  board  the  vessel  to  be  the 
guest  of  the  captain  until  the  disturbance 
was  over. 

It  was  a  most  kindly  invitation  and  Dr. 
Mackay  shook  his  visitor's  hand  warmly  as 
he  thanked  him.  He  turned  and  translated 
the  message  to  his  students,  and  their  hearts 
stood  still  with  dismay.  If  Kai  Bok-su, 
their  stay  and  support,  were  to  be  taken 
away,  what  would  become  of  them?  But 
Kai  Bok-su  had  not  changed  with  the  change 
ing  circumstances.  He  was  still  as  brave 
and  undaunted  as  though  trouble  had  never 
come  to  his  island. 

He  turned  to  the  officer  again  with  a 
smile.  *'My  family  would  not  be  hard  to 
move,"  he  said,  **but  my  valuables — I  am 
afraid  I  could  not  take  them."  He  made  a 
gesture  toward  the  students  standing  about 
him.  *^  These  young  men  and  many  more 
converts  scattered  all  over  north  Formosa, 
are  my  valuables.   Many  of  them  have  faced 


$38   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

death  unflinchingly  for  my  sake.  They  are 
my  valuables,  and  I  cannot  leave  them." 

It  was  bravely  said,  just  as  Kai  Bok-su 
might  be  expected  to  speak,  and  the  English 
officer's  eyes  kindled  with  appreciation.  The 
words  found  a  ready  response  in  his  heart. 
They  were  the  words  of  a  true  soldier  of  the 
King.  The  officer  went  back  to  his  captain 
with  Mackay's  message  and  with  a  deep  ad- 
miration in  his  heart  for  the  man  who  would 
rather  face  death  than  leave  his  friends. 

So  the  British  man-of-war  drew  off,  leav- 
ing the  missionaries  in  the  midst  of  danger. 
And  almost  immediately,  with  a  great  burst- 
ing roar,  the  bombardment  from  the  French 
ships  opened.  Sometimes  the  shells  flew 
high  over  the  town  and  up  to  the  bluff,  so 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Mackay  put  their  three  little 
ones  in  a  safe  corner  under  the  house ;  but 
they  themselves  as  well  as  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jamieson,  went  in  and  out  to  and  from  the 
college,  and  the  girls'  school  as  though  noth- 
ing were  happening. 

Every  day  Mackay 's  work  grew  heavier 
and  his  anxiety  for  the  persecuted  Chris- 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT     239 

tians  grew  deeper.  He  ate  very  little,  and 
he  scarcely  slept  at  all.  It  was  not  the  noise 
of  the  carnage  about  him  that  kept  him 
awake.  He  would  have  fallen  asleep  peace- 
fully amidst  bursting  shells,  but  he  had  no 
opportunity.  The  whole  burden  of  the 
young  Church,  harassed  by  persecution  on 
all  sides,  seemed  to  rest  upon  his  spirit. 
Anxiety  for  the  Christians  in  the  inland  sta- 
tions from  whom  he  could  not  hear  weighed 
on  him  night  and  day,  and  his  brave  spirit 
was  put  to  the  severest  test. 

Only  his  great  strong  faith  in  God  kept 
him  up  and  kept  up  the  spirits  of  the  con- 
verts who  looked  to  him  for  an  example. 
And  a  brave  pattern  he  showed  them.  Often 
he  and  A  Hoa  paced  the  lawn  in  front  of 
the  house  while  shot  and  shell  whizzed 
around  them.  During  the  worst  of  the  bom- 
bardment they  came  and  went  between  the 
college  and  the  house  as  if  they  had  charmed 
lives.  One  day  there  was  a  great  roar-  and 
a  shell  struck  Oxford  College,  shaking  it  to 
its  foundations.  The  smoke  from  fort  and 
ships    had    scarcely    cleared    away    when, 


240       BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

crash!  and  the  girls'  school  was  struck  by  a 
bursting  shell.  Next  moment  there  was  a 
fearful  bang  and  a  great  stone  that  stood  in 
front  of  the  Mackays'  house  went  up  into 
the  air  in  a  thousand  fragments. 

But  when  the  firing  was  hottest,  Kai 
Bok-su  would  repeat  to  his  students  the 
comforting  Psalm : 

^'Thou  shalt  not  be  afraid  for  the  terror 
by  night;  nor  for  the  arrow  that  flieth  by 
day." 

But  in  spite  of  his  brave  demeanor,  the 
strain  on  the  shepherd  of  this  harassed  flock 
was  beginning  to  tell.  And  when  the  bom- 
bardment ceased  and  the  intense  anxiety  for 
his  loved  ones  was  over,  Kai  Bok-su  sud- 
denly collapsed.  Dr.  Johnsen,  the  foreign 
physician  of  Tamsui,  came  hurriedly  up  to 
the  mission  house  to  see  him.  His  verdict 
sent  a  thrill  of  dismay  through  every  heart 
that  loved  him,  from  the  anxious  little  wife 
by  the  patient's  side,  to  the  poorest  convert 
in  the  town  below.  Their  beloved  Kai 
Bok-su  had  brain  fever. 

**Too  much  anxiety  and  too  little  sleep," 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT      241 

said  the  medical  man.  ^^He  must  sleep 
now,"  he  added,  *^or  he  will  die."  But  now 
that  Kai  Bok-su  had  a  chance  to  rest,  he 
could  not.  Sleep  had  been  chased  away  too 
long  to  stay  with  him.  Night  and  day  he 
tossed  about,  wide  awake  and  burning  with 
fever.  His  temperature  was  never  less  than 
102  during  those  days,  and  all  the  doctor's 
efforts  could  not  lower  it.  The  awful  heat 
of  September  was  on,  and  the  great  typhoons 
that  would  soon  sweep  across  the  country 
and  clear  the  air  had  not  yet  come.  The 
glaring  sun  and  the  stifling  damp  heat  were 
all  against  the  patient.  At  last  one  day  the 
doctor  saw  a  crisis  was  approaching.  He 
stood  looking  down  at  the  hot,  flushed  face, 
at  the  burning  eyes,  and  the  restless  hands 
that  were  never  still,  and  he  said  to  himself, 
*'If  the  fever  does  not  go  down  to-day,  he 
will  die." 

The  doctor  went  along  **  College  Eoad"  to- 
ward his  home,  answering  the  eager,  anx- 
ious questions  that  met  him  on  all  sides  with 
only  a  shake  of  his  head. 

A  Hoa  followed  him,  his  drawn  face  full 


g4a   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

^— — — ^— *—    — ^^1— — ■    ^.— ^^— —    — — .^^^^—^ 

of  pleading.  Was  he  no  better?  he  asked 
with  quivering  lips.  It  was  the  question 
poor  A  Hoa  asked  many,  many  times  a  day, 
for  he  never  left  the  house  when  not  away 
on  duty.  The  doctor's  face  was  full  of  sym- 
pathy and  his  own  heart  weighed  down  as  he 
sadly  answered,  ^*No." 

''If  I  only  had  some  ice,"  he  muttered, 
knowing  well  he  had  none.  *'If  there  was 
only  one  bit  of  ice  in  Tamsui,  I'd  save  him 
yet." 

Over  in  the  British  consulate  Dr.  John- 
sen  had  another  patient.  Mr.  Dodd  lay 
sick  there,  though  not  nearly  as  ill  as  the 
missionary,  and  the  physician's  next  visit 
was  to  him.  When  he  entered  he  found  a 
servant  carrying  a  tray  with  some  ice  on  it 
to  the  sick  room. 

''Ice!"  cried  the  doctor,  overjoyed. 
"Where  did  it  come  from?" 

The  servant  explained  that  the  steamship 
Eailoong  had  just  arrived  m  Tamsui  har- 
bor with  it  that  morning.  The  doctor  en- 
tered Mr.  Dodd's  room.  Would  he  give  him 
that  ice  to  save  Mackay 's  life  ?  was  the  ques- 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT      243 

tion  he  asked.  To  save  such  a  life  as  Mac- 
kay's!  That  was  an  absurd  question,  Mr. 
Dodd  declared,  and  he  immediately  ordered 
that  every  bit  of  ice  he  had  should  be  sent 
at  once  to  the  missionary's  house. 

The  doctor  hurried  back  up  the  hill  with 
the  precious  remedy.  He  broke  up  a  piece 
and  laid  it  like  a  little  cushion  on  poor  Kai 
Bok-su's  hot  forehead;  that  forehead  be- 
neath which  the  busy  brain,  resting  neither 
day  nor  night,  was  burning  up.  It  had  not 
been  there  a  great  while  before  the  restless 
eyes  lost  their  fire,  the  eyelids  drooped  and, 
wonderful  sight,  Kai  Bok-su  sank  into  a 
sleep !  The  doctor  hardly  dared  to  breathe 
If  he  could  only  be  kept  asleep  now,  he  had 
a  chance.  Dr.  Mackay  had  never  been  a 
sleeper,  he  well  knew.  He  was  too  restless, 
too  energetic,  to  allow  himself  even  proper 
rest.  When  Dr.  Fraser,  his  first  assistant, 
had  been  with  him,  he  had  struggled  to  per- 
suade him  to  stay  in  bed  at  least  six  hours 
every  night,  but  not  always  with  success. 
But  now  he  was  to  show  what  he  could  do 
in  the  matter  of  sleeping.    All  that  night Jie 


S44      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

lay,  breathing  peacefully,  the  next  day  he 
slept  on  from  morning  till  night,  and  little 
by  little  the  ice  melted  away  on  his  fore- 
head. He  did  not  move  all  the  next  night, 
and  A  Hoa  and  Mrs.  Mackay  and  the  doctor 
took  turns  at  his  bedside  watching  that  the 
precious  ice  was  always  there.  Morning 
came  and  it  was  all  finished.  The  patient 
opened  his  eyes.  He  had  slept  thirty-six 
hours,  and  a  thrill  of  joy  went  through 
every  Christian  heart  in  Tamsui,  for  their 
Kai  Bok-su  was  saved ! 

But  though  the  crisis  was  over,  he  was 
still  very  weak,  and  such  was  the  state  of 
affairs  through  the  country  that  he  was  in 
no  condition  to  cope  with  them.  Riot  and 
plunder  was  the  order  of  the  day.  News  of 
churches  being  destroyed,  of  faithful  Chris- 
tians being  tortured  or  put  to  death,  were 
still  coming  to  the  mission  house,  and  no  one 
could  tell  what  day  would  bring  Kai  Bok- 
su 's  turn. 

And  now  came  an  order  from  the  British 
consul  which  the  missionaries  could  not  dis- 
obey.    He  commanded  that  their  families 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT     245 

must  be  moved  at  once  from  Formosa,  as  he 
could  not  answer  for  their  protection.  So 
at  once  preparations  for  their  departure 
were  made,  and  Mr.  Jamieson  took  his  wife 
and  Mrs.  Mackay  and  her  three  little  ones 
and  sailed  away  for  Hongkong. 

But  once  more  Kai  Bok-su  stayed  behind. 
It  cost  him  bitter  pain  to  part  with  his  loved 
ones,  knowing  he  might  never  see  them 
again;  he  was  weak  and  spent  with  fever, 
and  his  poor  body  was  worn  to  a  shadow,  but 
he  stubbornly  refused  to  leave  the  men  who 
had  stood  by  him  in  every  danger.  The  con- 
sul commanded,  the  doctor  pleaded,  but  no, 
Kai  Bok-su  would  not  go.  If  the  danger 
had  grown  greater,  then  all  the  more  reason 
why  he  should  stay  and  comfort  his  people. 
And  if  God  were  pleased  to  send  death,  then 
they  would  all  die  together. 

But  he  was  so  weak  and  sick  that  the  doc- 
tor feared  that  if  he  remained  there  would 
be  little  chance  for  the  mob  to  kill  him: 
death  would  come  sooner.  So  he  came  to  his 
stubborn  patient  with  a  new  proposition. 
The  FuMen,  a  merchant  steamship,  was  now 


M6      BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

lying  in  Tamsui  harbor.  She  was  to  run  to 
Hongkong  and  back  directly.  If  Mackay 
would  only  take  that  trip,  his  physician 
urged,  the  sea  air  would  make  him  new 
again,  and  he  would  return  in  a  short  time 
and  be  ready  to  take  up  his  work  once  more. 

It  was  that  promise  that  moved  Mackay 's 
resolution.  His  utter  weakness  held  him 
down  from  work,  and  he  longed  with  all  his 
soul  to  go  out  through  the  country  to  help 
the  poor,  suffering  churches.  So  he  finally 
consented  to  take  the  short  journey  and  pay 
a  visit  to  his  dear  ones  in  Hongkong. 

He  did  not  get  back  quite  as  soon  as  he 
intended,  for  the  French  blockade  delayed 
his  vessel.  But  at  last  he  stepped  out  upon 
the  Tamsui  dock  into  a  crowd  of  preachers, 
students,  and  converts  who  were  weeping 
for  joy  about  him  and  exclaiming  over  his 
improved  looks. 

The  voyage  had  certainly  done  wonders 
for  him,  and  at  once  he  declared  he  must 
take  a  trip  into  the  country  and  visit  those 
who  were  left  of  the  churches. 

It    was    a    desperate    undertaking,    for 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT     247 

French  soldiers  were  now  scattered  through 
the  country,  guarding  the  larger  towns  and 
cities  and  everjnvhere  mobs  of  furious  Chi- 
nese were  ready  to  torture  or  kill  every  for- 
eigner. But  it  would  take  even  greater  dif- 
ficulties than  these  to  stop  Kai  Bok-su,  and 
he  began  at  once  to  lay  plans  for  going  on  a 
tour. 

He  first  went  to  the  British  consul  and 
came  back  in  high  spirits  with  a  folded  pa- 
per in  his  hand.  He  spread  it  out  on  the 
library  table  before  A  Hoa  and  Sun-a,  who 
were  to  go  with  him,  and  this  is  what  it  said : 

British  Consulate,  Tamsui, 
May  27th,  1885. 
To  THE  Officer  in  Chief  Command  of  the  French 
Forces  at  Kjelung: 
The  bearer  of  this  paper,  the  Eev.  Greorge  Leslie 
Mackay,  D.D.,  a  British  subject,  missionary  in  For- 
mosa, wishes  to  enter  Kelung,  to  visit  his  chapel  and 
his  house  there,  and  to  proceed  through  Kelung  to 
Kap-tsu-lan  on  the  east  coast  of  Formosa  to  visit  his 
converts  there.    Wherefore  I,  the  undersigned,  con- 
sul for  Great  Britain  at  Tamsui,  do  beg  the  officer 
in  chief  command  of  the  French  forces  in    Kelung 
to  grant  the  said  George  Leslie  Mackay  entry  into,  and 


248   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

a  free  and  safe  passage  through,  Kelung.  He  will  be 
accompanied  by  two  Chinese  followers,  belonging  to 
his  mission,  named,  respectively,  Giam  Chheng  Hoa, 
and  lap  Sun. 

A.  Frater, 
Her  Britannic  Majesty's  Consul  at  Tamsui. 

They  had  all  the  power  of  the  British 
Empire  behind  them  so  long  as  they  held 
that  paper.  Then  they  hired  a  burden- 
bearer  to  carry  their  food,  and  Mackay  cut 
a  bamboo  pole,  fully  twenty  feet  long,  and 
on  it  tied  the  British  flag.  With  this  float- 
ing over  them,  the  little  army  marched 
through  the  rice-fields  down  to  Kelung. 

It  was  an  adventurous  journey.  But, 
wonderful  though  it  seemed,  they  came 
through  it  safely.  Poor  Kai  Bok-su's  heart 
was  torn  as  he  saw  the  ravages  the  mob  had 
made  on  his  churches.  But  what  a  cheer  his 
heart  received  when  he  found  that  persecu- 
tion had  strengthened  the  converts  that  were 
left  and  everywhere  the  heathen  marveled 
that  men  should  die  for  the  faith  the  barbar- 
ian missionary  had  taught. 

iThey  were  taken  prisoners  once  for  Ger- 


UNEXPECTED  BOMBARDMENT  M9 

man  spies,  and  led  far  out  of  their  way.  But 
they  came  back  to  Tamsui  safely,  having 
greatly  cheered  the  faithful  Christians  who 
still  were  true  to  their  Master,  Jesus  Christ. 
It  was  early  in  June,  just  one  year  from  the 
opening  of  the  war,  that  the-  French  sailed 
away.  They  were  disgusted  with  the  whole 
affair,  the  commander  of  one  vessel  told  Dr. 
Mackay,  and  they  were  all  very  glad  it  was 
over. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jamieson  and  Dr.  Mackay 's 
family  returned  to  their  homes  on  the  bluff, 
and  work  started  up  again  with  its  old  vigor. 

But  everywhere  the  heathen  were  in  great 
glee.  Christianity  had  been  destroyed  with 
the  chapels,  they  were  sure.  Wherever  Mac- 
kay went,  shouts  of  derision  followed  him, 
and  everywhere  he  could  hear  the  joyful  cry 
^^Long-tsong  bo-khi!"  which  meant  *^The 
mission  is  wiped  out ! ' ' 

But  strange  though  it  may  seem,  the  mis- 
sion had  never  been  stronger,  and  it  soon 
began  to  assert  itself.  Dr.  Mackay  went  at 
the  work  of  repairing  the  lost  buildings  with 
all  the  force  of  his  nature.    First,  he  and 


250      BLACK  BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

Mr.  Jamieson  and  A  Hoa  sat  down  and  pre- 
pared a  statement  of  their  losses.  This  they 
sent  to  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  Chi- 
nese forces,  who  had  been  responsible  for 
law  and  order.  Without  any  delay  or  ques- 
tioning of  tha  missionaries'  rights,  the  gen- 
eral sent  Dr.  Mackay  the  sum  asked  for — 
ten  thousand  Mexican  dollars.^ 

The  next  thing  was  to  plan  the  new  chap- 
els and  see  to  the  building  of  them.  And 
before  the  shouts  of  ^^Long-tsong  bo-khi" 
had  well  started,  they  began  to  be  contra- 
dicted by  walls  of  brick  or  stone  that  rose 
"up  strong  and  sure  to  show  that  the  mission 
had  not  been  wiped  out.  Three  of  the  chap- 
els were  commenced  all  at  once — at  Sin- 
tiam,  at  Bang-kah  and  at  Sek-khau.  Before 
anything  was  done  Dr.  Mackay  and  a  party 
of  his  students  went  up  to  Sin-tiam  to  look 
over  the  site.  They  stood  up  on  the  pile  of 
ruins,  surrounded  by  the  Christians,  and  a 
crowd  of  heathen  came  around  gleefully  to 
watch  them  in  the  hopes  of  seeing  their  de- 
spair. 

^  About  $5,000. 


Banc-kah  Chapel 
look  now,  the  chapel  towers  above  our  temple' 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT     251' 

But  to  their  amazement  the  little  company 
of  Christians  led  by  the  wonderful  Kai 
Bok-su,  suddenly  burst  into  a  hymn  of 
praise  to  God  who  had  brought  them  safely 
through  all  their  troubles : 

Bless,  O  my  soul,  the  Lord  thy  God, 

And  not  forgetful  be 
Of  all  his  gracious  benefits 

He  hath  bestowed  on  thee! 

The  heathen  listened  in  wonder  to  the 
words  of  praise  where  they  had  expected  la- 
mentation, and  they  asked  each  other  what 
was  this  strange  power  that  made  men  so 
strong  and  brave. 

And  their  amazement  grew  as  the  chapels, 
the  lovely  new  chapels  of  stone  or  brick,  be- 
gan to  rise  from  the  ruins  of  the  old  ones. 
And  not  only  did  the  old  ones  reappear,  new 
and  more  beautiful,  but  as  Dr.  Mackay  and 
his  native  preachers  went  here  and  there 
over  the  country  others  peeped  forth  like 
the  hepaticas  of  springtime,  until  there  were 
not  only  the  forty  original  chapels,  but  in  a 
few  years  the  number  had  increased  to  sixty. 


25^   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

The  triumphant  shout  that  the  mission 
had  been  wiped  out  ceased  completely,  and 
the  people  declared  that  they  had  been  fools 
to  try  to  destroy  the  chapels,  for  the  result 
had  been  only  bigger  and  better  ones. 

*^Look  now,"  said  one  old  heathen,  point- 
ing a  withered  finger  to  the  handsome  spire 
of  the  Bang-kah  chapel,  that  lifted  itself  to- 
ward the  sky,  '^Look  now,  the  chapel  towers 
above  our  temple.  It  is  larger  than  the  one 
we  destroyed." 

His  neighbors  crowding  about  him  and 
gazing  up  with  superstitious  awe  at  the 
spire,  agreed. 

^*If  we  touch  this  one  he  will  build  an- 
other and  a  bigger  one,"  remarked  another 
man. 

*^We  cannot  stop  the  barbarian  mission- 
ary," said  the  old  heathen  with  an  air  of 
conviction. 

^*No,  no  one  can  stop  the  great  Kai  Bok- 
su,"  they  finally  agreed,  and  so  they  left  off 
all  opposition  in  despair. 

Yes,  the  cry  of  ^^Long-tsong  bo-khi"  had 
died,  and  the  answer  to  it  was  inscribed  on 


UNEXPECTED    BOMBARDMENT     253 

the  front  of  the  splendid  chapels  that  sprang 
up  all  over  north  Formosa.  For,  just  above 
the  main  entrance  to  each,  worked  out  in 
stucco  plaster,  was  a  picture  of  the  burning 
bush,  and  aroimd  it  in  Chinese  the  grand  old 
motto : 

^'Nec  tamen  consumebatur^'  (^*Yet  it  was 
not  consimaed.") 


TRIUMPHAL   MARCH 


CHAPTER  XII 

TRIUMPHAL  MARCH 

TTP  and  down  the  length  and  breadth  of 
^  north  Formosa,  seeming  to  be  in  two 
or  three  places  at  once,  went  Kai  Bok-su, 
during  this  time  of  reviving  after  the  war. 
He  would  be  in  Kelung  to-day  superintend- 
ing the  new  chapel  building,  in  Tamsui  at 
Oxford  College  the  next  day,  in  Bang-kah 
preaching  a  short  while  after,  and  no  one 
could  tell  just  where  the  next  day. 

But  every  one  did  know  that  wherever  he 
went.  Christians  grew  stronger  and  heathen 
gave  up  their  idols. 

The  Kap-tsu-lan  plain,  away  on  the  east- 
em  coast,  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of  pet  among 
all  his  mission  fields,  and  he  was  always 
turning  his  steps  thither.  For  the  Pe-po- 
hoan  who  lived  there,  while  they  were  sim- 
ple and  warm-hearted  and  easily  moved  by 
the  gospel  story,  were  not  such  strong  char- 

257 


258   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

acters  as  the  Chinese.  So  the  missionary  felt 
he  must  visit  them  often  to  help  steady  their 
faith. 

Not  long  after  the  close  of  the  war,  he  set 
off  on  a  trip  to  the  Kap-tsu-lan  plain.  Be- 
sides his  students,  he  was  accompanied  by  a 
young  German  scientist  Dr.  Warburg  had 
come  from  Germany  to  Formosa  to  collect 
peculiar  plants  and  flowers  and  to  find  any 
old  weapons  or  relics  of  interest  belonging 
to  the  savage  tribes.  All  these  were  for  the 
use  of  the  university  in  Germany  which  had 
sent  him  out. 

The  young  scientist  was  delighted  with 
Dr.  Mackay  and  found  in  him  a  very  inter- 
esting companion.  They  met  in  Kelung,  and 
when  Dr.  Warburg  found  that  Dr.  Mackay 
was  going  to  visit  the  Kap-tsu-lan  plain,  he 
joined  his  party.  The  stranger  found  many 
rare  specimens  of  orchids  on  that  trip  and 
several  peculiar  spear  and  arrow  heads  to 
be  taken  back  as  curios  to  Germany.  But 
he  found  something  rarer  and  more  wonder- 
ful and  something  for  which  he  had  not  come 
to  search. 


Wlgrim  Congregational  Cwuitcm. 

St.  Lou  IT:.  f,:o, 

TRIUMPHAL    MARCH  259 

He  saw  in  one  place  three  hundred  people 
gather  about  their  missionary  and  raise  a 
ringing  hymn  of  praise  to  the  God  of  heaven, 
of  whom  they  had  not  so  much  as  heard  but 
a  few  short  years  before.  He  visited  six- 
teen little  chapels  and  heard  clever,  bright- 
faced  young  Chinese  preachers  stand  up  in 
them  and  tell  the  old,  old  story  of  Jesus  and 
his  love.  And  he  realized  that  these  things 
were  far  more  wonderful  than  the  rarest 
curios  he  could  find  in  all  Formosa. 

When  he  bade  good-by  to  Dr.  Mackay,  he 
said:  ^'1  never  saw  anything  like  this  be- 
fore. If  scientific  skeptics  had  traveled  with 
a  missionary  as  I  have  and  witnessed  what  I 
have  witnessed  on  this  plain,  they  would  as- 
sume a  different  attitude  toward  the  heralds 
of  the  cross.'' 

Not  many  months  later  Dr.  Mackay  again 
went  down  the  eastern  coast.  This  time  he 
took  three  of  his  closest  friends,  all  preacher 
students.  Tan  He,  Sun-a,  and  Koa  Kau. 
With  a  coolie  to  carry  provisions,  their 
Bibles,  their  forceps,  and  some  malaria 
medicine,  they  started  off  fully  equipped. 


260   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

By  steam  launch  to  Bang-kah,  by  a  queer 
little  railway  train  to  Tsui-tng-kha  and  by 
foot  to  Kelung  was  the  first  part  of  the  jour- 
ney. The  next  part  was  a  tramp  over  the 
mountains  to  Kap-tsu-lan. 

The  road  now  grew  rough  and  dangerous. 
Overhead  hung  loose  rocks,  huge  enough  to 
crush  the  whole  party  should  they  fall. 
Underneath  were  wet,  slippery  stones  which 
might  easily  make  one  go  sliding  down  into 
the  chasm  below. 

As  usual  on  this  trip  they  had  many  hair- 
breadth escapes,  for  there  were  savages  too 
hiding  up  in  the  dense  forest  and  waiting 
an  opportunity  to  spring  out  upon  the  trav- 
elers. Dr.  Mackay  was  almost  caught  in  a 
small  avalanche  also.  He  leaped  over  a  nar- 
row stream-bed,  and  as  he  did  so,  he  dis- 
lodged a  loose  mass  of  rock  above  him.  It 
came  down  with  a  fearful  crash,  scattering 
the  smaller  pieces  right  upon  his  heels ;  but 
they  passed  all  dangers  safely  and  toward 
evening  reached  the  shore  where  the  great 
long  Pacific  billows  rolled  upon  the  sand. 
They  were  in  the  Kap-tsu-lan  plain. 


TRroMPHAL    MARCH  261 

Their  journey  through  the  plain  was  like 
a  triumphal  march.  Wherever  a  chapel  had 
been  erected,  there  were  converts  to  be  ex- 
amined; wherever  there  was  no  chapel,  the 
people  gathered  about  the  missionary  and 
pleaded  for  one.  They  often  recalled  the 
first  visit  of  Kai  Bok-su  when  ^^No  room  for 
barbarians"  were  the  only  words  that  met 
him. 

But  Dr.  Mackay  wished  to  go  farther  on 
this  journey  than  he  had  ever  gone.  Some 
distance  south  of  Kap-tsu-lan  lay  another 
district  called  the  Ki-lai  plain.  The  people 
here  were  also  aborigines  of  the  island  who 
had  been  conquered  by  the  Chinese  like  the 
Pepo-hoan.  But  the  inhabitants  of  Ki-lai 
were  called  Lam-si-hoan,  which  means  *^  Bar- 
barians of  the  south."  Dr.  Mackay  had 
never  been  among  them,  but  they  had  heard 
the  gospel.  A  missionary  from  Oxford  Col- 
lege had  journeyed  away  down  there  to  tell 
the  people  about  Jesus  and  had  been  work- 
ing among  them  for  some  years.  He  was  not 
a  graduate,  not  even  a  student — ^but  only  the 
cook !    For  Oxford  College  was  such  a  place 


^62   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

of  inspiration  under  Kai  Bok-su,  that  even 
the  servants  in  the  kitchen  wanted  to  go  out 
and  preach  the  gospel.  So  the  cook  had 
gone  away  to  the  Ki-lai  plain,  and,  ever 
since  he  had  left,  Dr.  Mackay  had  longed  to 
go  and  see  how  his  work  was  prospering. 

So  at  one  of  the  most  southerly  points  of 
the  Kap-tsu-lan  plain  he  secured  a  boat  for 
the  voyage  south.  The  best  he  could  get  was 
a  small  craft  quite  open,  only  twelve  feet 
long.  It  was  not  a  very  fine  vessel  with 
which  to  brave  the  Pacific  Ocean,  but  where 
was  the  crazy  craft  in  which  Kai  Bok-su 
would  not  embark  to  go  and  tell  the  gospel 
to  the  heathen?  The  boat  was  manned  by 
six  Pe-po-hoan  rowers,  all  Christians,  and 
at  five  o'clock  in  the  evening  they  pushed 
out  into  the  surf  of  So  Bay.  A  crowd  of 
converts  came  down  to  the  shore  to  bid  them 
farewell  As  the  boat  shoved  off  the  friends 
on  the  beach  started  a  hymn.  The  rowers 
and  the  missionaries  caught  it  up  and  the 
two  groups  joined,  the  sound  of  each  grow- 
ing fainter  and  fainter  to  the  other  as  the 
distance  widened. 


TRIUMPHAL    MARCH  26gr 

All  lands  to  God  in  joyful  sounds 

Aloft  your  voices  raise, 
Sing  forth  the  honor  of  his  name, 

And  glorious  make  his  praise ! 

And  the  land  and  the  sea,  answering  each 
other,  joined  in  praise  to  him  who  was  the 
Maker  of  both. 

And  so  the  rowers  pulled  away  in  time  to 
the  swing  of  the  Psalm,  the  boat  rounded  a 
point,  and  the  beloved  figure  of  Kai  Bok-su 
disappeared  from  sight. 

Away  down  the  coast  the  oarsmen  pulled,, 
and  the  four  missionaries  squeezed  them-^ 
selves  into  as  small  a  space  as  possible  to  be 
out  of  the  way  of  the  oars.  All  the  evening 
they  rowed  steadily,  and  as  they  still  swept 
along  night  came  down  suddenly.  They  kept 
close  to  the  shore,  where  to  their  right  arose 
great  mountains  straight  up  from  the  wa- 
ter's edge.  They  were  covered  with  forest,. 
and  here  and  there  in  the  blackness  fires: 
twinkled. 

*^  Head-hunters!"  said  the  helmsman^ 
pointing  toward  them. 

Away  to  the  left  stretched  the  Pacific 


^64   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

Ocean,  and  above  shone  the  stars  in  the  deep 
blue  dome.  It  was  a  still,  hot  tropical  night. 
From  the  land  came  the  heavy  scent  of 
flowers.  The  only  sound  that  broke  the  still- 
ness was  the  regular  thud,  thud  of  the  oars 
or  the  cry  of  some  wild  animal  floating  out 
from  the  jungle.  As  they  passed  on  through 
i:he  warm  darkness,  the  sea  took  on  that  won- 
derful fiery  glow  that  so  often  burns  on  the 
oceans  of  the  tropics.  Every  wave  became 
a  blaze  of  phosphorescence.  Every  ripple 
from  the  oars  ran  away  in  many-colored 
flames — red,  green,  blue,  and  orange.  Kai 
Bok-su,  sitting  amazed  at  the  glory  to  which 
the  Pe-po-hoan  boatmen  had  become  accus- 
tomed, was  silent  with  awe.  He  had  seen 
the  phosphorescent  lights  often  before,  but 
never  anything  like  this.  He  put  his  hand 
down  into  the  molten  sea  and  scooped  up 
handfuls  of  what  seemed  drops  of  liquid 
fire.  And  as  his  fingers  dipped  into  the  wa- 
ter they  shone  like  rods  of  red-hot  iron. 
Over  the  gleaming  iridescent  surface,  sparks 
of  fire  darted  like  lightning,  and  from  the 
little  boat's  sides  flashed  out  flames  of  gold 


TRIUMPHAL    MARCH 265 

and  rose  and  amber.  It  was  grand.  And 
no  wonder  they  all  joined — Chinese,  Ma- 
layan, and  Canadian — in  making  the  dark 
cliffs  and  the  gleaming  sea  echo  to  the  strains 
of  praise  to  the  One  who  had  created  all  this 
glory. 

0  come  let  ns  sing  to  the   Lord, 
To  him  our  voices  raise  I 

"With  joyful  noise,  let  us  the  rock  <■ 

Of  our  salvation  praise. 


To  him  the  spacious  sea  belongs, 

For  he  the  same  did  make; 
The  dry  land  also  from  his  hand 

Its  form  at  first  did  take. 

Dawn  came  up  out  of  the  Pacific  with  a 
new  glory  of  light  and  color  that  dispelled 
the  wonders  of  the  night.  It  showed  the  voy- 
agers that  they  were  very  near  a  low  shore 
where  it  would  be  possible  to  land.  But  the 
helmsman  shook  his  head  at  the  proposal. 
He  pointed  out  huts  along  the  line  of  forest 
and  figures  on  the  shore.  And  then  with  a 
common  impulse,  the  rowers  swung  round 
and  pulled  straight  out  to  sea ;  for  with  Pe- 


^66      BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

po-hoan  experience  they  saw  at  once  that 
here  was  a  savage  village,  and  not  long 
would  their  heads  remain  on  their  shoulders 
should  they  touch  land. 

The  scorching  sun  soon  poured  its  hot  rays 
upon  the  tired  rowers,  but  they  pulled  stead- 
ily. They  too,  like  Kai  Bok-su,  were  anx- 
ious to  take  this  great  good  news  of  Jesus 
Christ  to  those  who  had  not  yet  learned  of 
him.  When  safely  out  of  reach  of  the  head- 
hunters,  they  once  more  turned  south,  and, 
about  noon,  tired  and  hot,  at  last  approached 
the  first  port  of  the  Ki-lai  plain.  Every  one 
drew  a  sigh  of  relief,  for  the  men  had  been 
rowing  steadily  all  night  and  half  the  day. 
As  they  drew  near  Dr.  Mackay  looked 
eagerly  at  the  queer  village.  It  appeared 
to  be  half  Chinese  and  half  Lam-si-hoan.  It 
consisted  of  two  rows  of  small  thatched 
houses  with  a  street  between  nearly  two  hun- 
dred feet  wide. 

The  rowers  ran  the  boat  up  on  the  sloping 
pebbly  beach  and  all  stepped  out  with  much 
relief  to  stretch  their  stiffened  limbs.  They 
had  scarcely  done  so  when  a  military  officer 


TRIUMPHAL    MARCH  26T 

came  down  the  shore  and  approaching  Dr. 
Mackay  made  him  welcome  with  the  greatest 
warmth.  There  was  a  military  encampment 
here,  and  this  was  the  officer  as  well  as  the 
headman  of  the  village.  He  invited  Dr. 
Mackay  and  his  friends  to  take  dinner  with 
him.  Dr.  Mackay  accepted  with  pleased 
surprise.  This  was  far  better  than  he  had 
expected.  He  was  still  more  surprised  to 
hear  his  name  on  every  hand. 

**It  is  the  great  Kai  Bok-su,"  could  be 
heard  in  tones  of  deepest  respect  from  fish- 
ermen at  their  nets  and  old  women  by  the 
door  and  children  playing  with  their  kites  in 
the  wide  street. 

^^How  do  they  know  me?"  he  asked,  as  he 
was  greeted  by  a  rice-seller,  sitting  at  the 
open  front  of  his  shop. 

*' Ah,  we  have  heard  of  you  and  your  work 
in  the  north.  Pastor  Mackay,"  said  his  host, 
smiling,  ^^and  our  people  want  to  hear  of 
this  new  Jehovah-religion  too. 

The  cook-missionary  had  evidently  spread 
wonderful  reports  of  Kai  Bok-su  and  his 
gospel  and  so  prepared  the  way.     He  was 


g68      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

preaching  just  then  in  a  place  called  Ka- 
le-oan,  farther  inland.  When  the  officer 
learned  that  Dr.  Mackay  wanted  to  visit  him 
he  turned  to  his  servant  with  a  most  sur- 
prising order.  It  was  to  saddle  his  pony  and 
bring  him  for  Kai  Bok-su  to  ride  to  Ka-le- 
oan. 

The  pony  came,  sleek  and  plump  and  with 
a  string  of  jingling  bells  adorning  him.  A 
pony  was  a  wonderful  sight  in  Formosa,  and 
Dr.  Mackay  had  not  used  any  sort  of  animal 
in  his  work  since  that  disastrous  day  when 
he  had  tried  in  vain  to  ride  the  stubborn 
Lu-a.  But  now  he  gladly  mounted  the  se- 
date little  steed  and  trotted  away  along  the 
narrow  pathway  between  the  rice-fields  to- 
ward Ka-le-oan. 

Darkness  had  almost  descended  when  he 
rode  into  the  village  and  stopped  before  a 
small  grass-covered  bamboo  dwelling  where 
the  cook-preacher  lived.  For  years  the  peo- 
ple here  had  looked  for  Kai  Bok-su's  com- 
ing, for  years  they  had  talked  of  this  great 
event,  and  for  years  their  preacher  had  been 
writing  and  saying  as  he  received  his  reply 


TRIUMPHAL    MARCH  269 

from  the  eager  missionary  in  Tamsni,  *^He 
may  come  soon." 

And  now  he  was  really  here !  The  sound 
of  his  horse's  bells  had  scarcely  stopped  be- 
fore the  preacher's  house,  when  the  news 
began  to  spread  like  fire  through  the  village. 
The  preacher,  who  had  worked  so  hard  and 
waited  so  long,  wept  for  joy,  and  before  he 
could  make  Dr.  Mackay  welcome  in  a  proper 
manner  the  room  was  filled  with  men,  all 
wildly  eager  for  a  sight  of  the  great  Kai 
Bok-su,  while  outside  a  crowd  gathered 
about  the  door  striving  to  get  even  a  glimpse 
of  him.  The  ex-cook  of  Oxford  College  had 
preached  so  faithfully  that  many  were  al- 
ready converted  to  Christianity,  many  more 
knew  a  good  deal  of  the  gospel,  and  crowds 
were  ready  to  throw  away  their  idols.  They 
were  weary  of  their  heathen  rites  and  super- 
stitions. They  were  longing  for  something 
better,  they  scarcely  knew  what. 

^^But  the  mandarin  will  not  let  them  be- 
come Christians,"  said  the  preacher  anx- 
iously. ^^It  is  he  who  is  keeping  them  from 
decision.    He  has  said  that  they  must  con- 


rtO      BLACK  BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

tinue  in  idolatry,  as  a  token  of  loyalty  to 
China." 

^'Are  you  sure  that  is  true?"  cried  Dr. 
Mackay. 

The  converts  nodded.  They  had  ^^ heard" 
it  said  at  least. 

But  Kai  Bok-su  was  not  the  man  to  ac- 
cept mere  hearsay.  He  was  always  wisely 
careful  to  avoid  any  collision  with  the  au- 
thorities. But  remembering  the  kindness 
shown  him  back  in  Hoe-lien-kang,  he  could 
not  quite  believe  that  the  mandarin  who  had 
been  so  kind  to  him  could  be  hostile  to  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 

To  think  was  to  act,  and  early  the  next 
morning,  he  was  riding  back  to  the  seacoast, 
to  inquire  how  much  of  this  rumor  was  true. 

His  reception  was  very  warm.  It  was  all 
right,  the  officer  declared.  Whatever  had 
been  said  or  done  in  the  past  must  be  for- 
gotten. Kai  Bok-su  might  go  where  he 
pleased  and  preach  his  Jehovah-religion  to 
whomsoever  he  would. 

It  was  a  very  light-hearted  rider  the  pony 
carried  as  he  galloped  back  along  the  narrow 


TRIUMPHAL    MARCH  271 

paths,  with  the  good  news  for  the  villagers. 
The  word  went  round  as  soon  as  he  arrived. 
Kai  Bok-su  wanted  to  know  how  many  were 
for  the  true  God.  All  who  would  worship  him 
were  at  once  to  clear  their  houses  of  idols  and 
declare  that  they  would  serve  Jehovah  and 
him  only.  At  dark  a  great  crowd  gathered 
in  an  open  space  in  the  village.  Representa- 
tives from  five  villages  were  there,  chiefs 
were  shouting  to  their  people,  and  when  Dr. 
Mackay  and  his  students  arrived,  the  place 
was  all  noise  and  confusion.  He  was  puz- 
zled. It  almost  looked  as  if  there  was  to  be 
a  riot,  though  the  voices  did  not  sound  angry. 

He  climbed  up  on  a  pile  of  rubbish  and 
his  face  shone  clear  in  the  light  of  the  flar- 
ing torches.  His  voice  rang  out  loud  and 
commanding  above  the  tumult. 

**What  is  this  noise  about?"  he  cried.  ^^Is 
there  a  difference  of  opinion  among  you  as 
to  whether  you  shall  worship  these  poor  toys 
of  wood  and  stone,  or  the  true  God  who  is 
your  Father?" 

He  paused  and  as  if  from  one  man  came 
back  the  answer  in  a  mighty  shout : 


27S   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

'*No,  we  will  worship  the  true  God!" 

The  tumult  had  been  one  of  enthusiasm 
and  not  of  dispute ! 

Kai  Bok-su's  heart  gave  a  great  bound. 
For  a  moment  he  could  not  speak.  He  who 
had  so  often  stood  up  fearless  and  bold  be- 
fore a  raging  heathen  mob,  now  faltered  be- 
fore this  sea  of  eager  faces,  upturned  to 
him.  It  seemed  too  good  to  be  true  that  all 
this  crowd,  representing  five  villages,  was 
anxious  to  become  followers  of  the  God  of 
heaven.  His  voice  grew  steady  at  last,  and 
standing  up  there  in  the  flickering  torch- 
light he  told  those  children  of  the  plain  what 
it  meant  to  be  a  follower  of  Jesus  Christ. 
It  was  a  late  hour  when  the  meeting  broke 
up,  but  even  then  Dr.  Mackay  could  not  go 
to  bed.  Never  since  the  day  that  A  Hoa,  his 
first  convert,  had  accepted  Jesus  Christ  as 
his  Savior,  had  he  felt  such  joy,  and  all 
night  he  walked  up  and  down  in  front  of  the 
preacher's  house,  unable  to  sleep  for  the 
thankfulness  to  God  that  surged  in  his 
heart. 

Morning  brought  a  wonderful  day  for  the 


TRIUMPHAL    MARCH 273 

Ki-lai  plain.  It  was  like  a  day  when  free- 
dom from  slavery  was  announced.  Had 
there  been  bells  in  the  village  they  would 
certainly  have  been  rung.  But  joy  bells 
were  ringing  in  every  heart.  Nobody  could 
work  all  day.  The  rice-fields  and  the  shops 
and  the  pottery  works  lay  idle.  There  was 
but  one  business  to  do  that  day,  and  that 
was  to  get  rid  of  their  idols. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  mayor  of  the 
place,  or  the  headman  as  he  was  called,  came 
to  the  house  to  invite  the  missionary  and  his 
party  to  join  him.  Behind  him  wall^ed  four 
big  boys,  carrying  two  large  wicker  baskets, 
hanging  from  poles  across  their  shoulders ; 
and  behind  \  them  came  the  whole  village, 
men,  women,  and  children,  their  faces  shin- 
ing with  a  new  joy.  The  procession  moved 
along  from  house  to  house.  At  every  place 
it  stopped  and  out  from  the  home  were  car- 
ried idols,  ancestral  tablets,  mock-money, 
flags,  incense  sticks,  and  all  the  stuff  used 
in  idol  worship.  These  were  all  emptied  into 
the  baskets  carried  by  the  boys.  When  even 
the  temple  had  been  ransacked  and  the  work 


874      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

of  clearing  out  the  idols  in  the  village  was 
finished,  the  procession  moved  on  to  the  next 
hamlet.  The  villages  were  very  near  each 
other,  so  the  journey  was  not  wearisome; 
and  at  last  when  every  vestige  of  the  old 
idolatrous  life  had  been  taken  from  the 
homes  of  five  villages,  the  happy  crowd 
marched  back  to  the  first  village.  There 
was  a  large  courtyard  near  the  temple  and 
here  the  procession  halted.  The  boys 
dropped  their  well-filled  baskets,  and  their 
contents  were  piled  in  the  center  of  the 
court.  The  people  gathered  about  the  heap 
and  with  shouts  of  joy  set  fire  to  these  signs 
of  their  lifelong  slavery.  Soon  the  pile  was 
blazing  and  crackling,  and  all  the  people, 
even  the  chiefs  of  the  villages,  vied  with 
each  other  in  burning  up  the  idols  they  had 
so  lately  besought  for  blessings. 

And  then  they  turned  toward  the  heathen 
temple  and  delivered  it  over  to  Kai  Bok-su 
for  a  chapel  in  which  he  and  his  students 
might  preach  the  gospel. 

And  so  the  temple  was  lighted  up  for  a 
new  kind  of  worship.    It  had  been  used  for 


TRIUMPHAL    MARCH  275 

worship  many,  many  times  before,  but  oh, 
how  different  it  was  this  time !  Instead  of 
coming  in  fear  of  demons,  dread  of  their 
gods'  anger,  and  determination  to  cheat 
them  if  possible,  these  poor  folk  crowded 
into  the  new-old  temple  with  light,  happy 
hearts,  as  children  coming  to  their  Father. 
And  was  not  God  their  Father,  only  they 
had  not  known  him  before  ? 

The  heathen  temple  was  dedicated  to  the 
worship  of  the  true  God  by  singing  the  old 
but  always  new,  one  hundredth  Psalm.  The 
Lam-si-hoan  were  not  very  good  singers. 
They  had  not  much  idea  of  tune.  They  had 
less  idea  of  just  when  to  start,  and  there 
was  very  little  to  be  said  about  the  harmony 
of  those  hundreds  of  voices.  But  in  spite  of 
it  all,  Kai  Bok-su  had  to  confess  that  never 
in  the  music  of  his  homeland  or  in  the  more 
finished  harmonies  of  Europe,  had  he  heard 
anything  so  grandly  uplifting  as  when  those 
newly-freed  people  stood  up  in  their  idol 
temple  and  with  heart  and  soul  and  voice 
unitedly  poured  forth  in  thunderous  volume 
of  praise  the  great  command : 


276      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 


All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell, 
Sing  to  the  Lord  with  cheerful  voice. 

For  a  whole  week  with  his  pony  and 
groom,  which  were  still  his  to  do  with  as  he 
pleased,  the  busy  missionary  rode  up  and 
down  this  plain,  visiting  the  villages,  preach- 
ing, and  teaching  the  people  how  to  live  as 
Jesus  Christ  their  Savior  had  lived;  for  it 
was  necessary  to  impress  upon  their  child- 
like minds  that  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  burn 
up  the  idols  in  their  homes  and  temple  unless 
they  also  gave  up  the  still  more  harmful 
idols  in  their  hearts. 

But  at  last  the  day  came  when  the  pony 
had  to  be  returned  to  its  owner  and  the  mis- 
sionary and  his  helpers  must  leave.  It  was 
a  sad  day  but  a  joyous  one — the  day  that 
great  visit  came  to  an  end.  Crowds  of  Chris- 
tians, fain  to  keep  him,  followed  him  down 
to  the  shore,  and  many  kindly  but  reluctant 
hands  shoved  the  little  boat  out  into  the  surf. 
And  as  the  rowers  sent  it  skimming  out  over 
the  great  Pacific  rollers,  there  rose  from  the 
beach  the  parting  hymn,  the  one  that  had 


TRIUMPHAL    MARCH  277 

dedicated  the  heathen  temple  to  the  worship 
of  the  true  God : 

All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell,  ^ 
Sing  to  the  Lord  with  cheerful  voice. 

and  from  the  rowers  and  the  missionaries 
in  the  boat,  came  back  the  glad  echo : 

Know  that  the  Lord  is  God  indeed 
Without  our  aid  he  did  us  make. 

They  were  soon  out  of  sight.  The  rowers 
pulled  hard,  but  a  stiff  northeaster  straight 
from  Japan  was  blowing  against  them,  and 
they  made  but  little  headway.  Night  came 
down,  and  they  were  again  skirting  those 
dark  cliffs,  where,  here  and  there,  along  the 
narrow  strip  of  sand,  the  night-fires  of  the 
savages  flamed  out  against  the  dark  tangle 
of  foliage.  All  night  long  the  rowers  strug- 
gled against  the  wind.  They  were  afraid  to 
go  out  far  for  the  waves  were  wild,  they 
dared  not  land,  for,  cruder  than  the  sea,  the 
head-hunters  waited  for  them  on  the  shore. 
And  so  all  that  night,  taking  turns  with  the 
rowers,   the  missionary  and  his   students 


278      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

toiled  against  the  wind  and  wave.  The  dawn 
came  up  gray  and  stormy,  and  they  were 
still  tossing  about  among  the  w^hite  billows. 
No  one  had  touched  food  for  twenty-four 
hours.  They  had  rice  in  the  boat,  but  there 
was  no  place  where  they  dared  land  to  have 
it  cooked.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to 
pull,  pull  at  the  oars,  and  a  weary  task  it 
seemed,  for  the  boat  appeared  to  make  little 
headway,  and  the  rowers  barely  succeeded  in 
keeping  her  from  being  dashed  upon  the 
rocks. 

They  were  becoming  almost  too  weak  to 
keep  any  control  over  their  boat,  when  about 
three  o  'clock  in  the  afternoon  they  managed 
to  round  a  point.  There  before  them  curved 
a  beautiful  bay.  Behind  it  and  on  both  sides 
arose  a  perpendicular  wall  several  hundred 
feet  high.  At  its  foot  stretched  a  narrow 
sandy  beach.  It  was  an  ideal  spot,  secure 
from  savages  both  by  land  and  sea.  A  shout 
of  encouragement  from  Kai  Bok-su  was  the 
one  thing  needed.  Tired  arms  and  aching 
backs  bent  to  the  oars  for  one  last  effort, 
and  when  the  boat  swept  up  on  the  sandy 


TRIUMPHAL    MARCH  279 

beach  every  one  uttered  a  heartfelt  prayer 
of  thankfulness  to  the  Father  who  had  pro- 
vided this  little  haven  in  a  time  of  such  dis- 
tress. 

The  rest  of  the  journey  was  made  safely, 
and  just  forty  days  after  their  departure 
the  four  missionaries  returned,  worn  out, 
to  Tamsui. 


THE  LAND  OCCUPIED 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  LAND  OCCUPIED 

T>UT  Kai  Bok-su  had  no  sooner  returned 
-■-'     than  he  was  off  again.   He  was  not  one 

of  that  sort  who  could  settle  down  after  an 
achievement,  content  to  rest  for  a  little.  He 
seemed  to  forget  all  about  what  had  been 
done  and  was  **up  and  at  it  again."  If  he 
**did  not  know  when  he  was  beaten,"  neither 
did  he  seem  to  know  when  he  was  success- 
ful; and  like  Alexander  the  Great  he  was 
always  sighing  for  new  worlds  to  conquer, 
yes,  and  marching  off  and  conquering  them 
too. 

But  eyery  time  he  returned  to  his  work  at 
Tamsui  from  one  of  these  tours,  it  was  borne 
in  upon  him  more  forcibly  every  day  that 
his  faithful  assistant  who  was  left  in  charge, 
could  not  long  shoulder  his  work.  Mr. 
Jamieson  was  fighting  a  losing  battle  with 
ill  health.  The  terrible  experiences  during 
283 


£84   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

the  war  year,  the  hard  work,  and  the  trying 
Formosan  climate  had  all  combined  against 
him.  His  brave  spirit  could  not  always  sus- 
tain the  body  that  was  growing  gradually 
weaker,  and  one  day,  a  dark,  sad  day,  the 
devoted  soul  was  set  free  from  the  poor 
pain-racked  body.  He  had  given  eight  years 
of  hard,  faithful  work  to  the  study  of  the 
language  and  to  the  service  of  the  Master 
in  the  mission.  Mrs.  Jamieson  returned  to 
Canada,  and  once  more  Dr.  Mackay  faced 
the  work,  unaided  except  by  native  preach- 
ers. But  he  was  not  daunted  even  by  this 
bereavement,  for  he  always  lived  in  the  per- 
fect faith  that  God  was  on  his  side. 

And  then,  he  had  by  this  time  three  new 
assistants  in  the  mission-house  on  the  bluff. 
They  did  not  even  guess  that  they  were  any 
help  to  him,  for  they  could  never  go  with 
him  on  his  mission  tours.  But  by  their 
sweet  merry  ways  and  their  joyous  welcome 
to  father,  when  he  returned,  they  did  help 
him  greatly,  and  made  his  home-comings  a 
delight. 

^*How  many  did  you  baptize,  father?'' 


THE   LAND    OCCUPIED  285 

was  baby  George's  inevitable  question  on  his 
father's  return.  For  already  the  wise  tod- 
dler had  learned  something  of  the  bitter 
enmity  of  the  heathen  world,  and  knew 
that  converts  meant  friends.  Then  father's 
home-coming  meant  presents  too,  wonderful 
things,  bows  and  arrows,  rare  curios  for  the 
museum  in  the  college,  and,  once,  a  pair  of 
the  funniest  monkeys  in  the  world,  which 
proved  most  entertaining  playthings  for  the 
little  boy  and  his  two  sisters.  Another  time 
the  father  brought  home  a  young  bear  to 
keep  the  monkeys  company,  but  they  were 
not  at  all  polite  to  their  guest,  for  they  made 
poor  bruin's  life  miserable  by  teasing  him. 
They  would  torment  him  until  he  would 
stamp  with  rage.  But  he  was  not  always 
badly  used,  for  when  the  three  children 
would  come  out  to  feed  him,  he  was  very 
happy,  and  he  would  show  his  pleasure  by 
putting  his  head  between  his  paws  and  roll- 
ing over  and  over  like  a  big  ball  of  fur.  And 
he  always  seemed  quite  proud  of  his  per- 
formance when  his  three  little  keepers 
shrieked  with  laughter. 


^86   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

The  next  year  after  Mr.  Jamieson's  death 
the  empty  mission-house  was  once  more 
filled.  In  September  the  Eev.  Mr.  William 
and  Mrs.  Gauld  sailed  from  Canada,  and 
with  their  arrival  Dr.  Mackay  took  new 
heart 

The  new  missionaries  had  learned  the  lan- 
guage and  their  work  was  well  under  way 
when  the  time  came  round  once  more  for 
Dr.  Mackay  to  go  back  to  Canada  for  a 
year's  rest.  This  time  there  was  quite  a 
little  party  went  with  him:  his  wife,  their 
three  children,  and  Koa  Kau,  one  of  his  stu- 
dents. 

Among  those  left  to  assist  Mr.  Gauld, 
there  was  none  he  relied  upon  more  than  A 
Hoa.  Mr.  Gauld,  at  the  close  of  his  second 
year's  work,  wrote  of  this  fellow  worker: 
**The  longer  and  better  I  know  him,  the 
more  I  can  love  him,  trust  his  honesty,  and 
respect  his  judgment.  He  knows  his  own 
people,  from  the  governor  of  the  island  to 
the  ragged  opium-smoking  beggar,  and  has 
influence  with  them  all." 

There  were  many  others  besides  A  Hoa  to 


THE    LAND    OCCUPIED  287 

render  the  missionary  faithful  help ;  among 
them  Sun-a  and  Tan  He,  the  latter  pastor  of 
the  church  of  Sin-tiam;  and  just  because 
Kai  Bok-su  was  away  they  worked  the 
harder,  that  he  might  receive  a  good  report 
of  them  on  his  return. 

The  separation  was  longer  this  time,  for 
Dr.  Mackay  wished  to  send  his  children  to 
school,  and  he  decided  that  they  would  re- 
main in  Canada  two  years.  He  was  made 
Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly,  too, 
and  the  Church  at  home  needed  him  to  stir 
them  up  to  a  greater  desire  to  help  those  be- 
yond the  seas. 

While  he  was  working  and  preaching  in 
Canada,  his  heart  turned  always  to  his  be- 
loved Formosa,  and  letters  from  the  friends 
there  were  among  his  greatest  pleasures.  A 
Hoa's,  of  course,  were  doubly  welcome.  Pas- 
tor Giam,  the  name  by  which  he  was  now 
called,  was  Mr.  Gauld's  right-hand  helper  in 
those  days,  and  once  he  went  alone  on  a  tour 
away  to  the  eastern  shore.  While  there  he 
had  an  adventure  of  which  he  wrote  to  Kai 
Bok-su. 


288      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

^^The  other  morning  wMle  walking  on  the 
seashore  I  saw  a  sailing-vessel  slowly  drift- 
ing shoreward  and  in  danger  of  being 
wrecked,  for  there  was  a  fog  and  a  heavy 
sea.  I  hastened  back  to  the  chapel  and  beat 
the  drum  to  call  the  villagers  to  worship. 
As  soon  as  it  was  over  I  asked  converts  and 
heathen  to  go  in  their  fishing-boats  as 
quickly  as  possible  and  let  the  sailors  know 
they  need  not  fear  savages  there,  and  if  they 
wished  to  come  ashore  a  chapel  would  be 
given  them  to  stay  in.  The  whole  crew  came 
ashore  in  the  boats  at  once.  I  gave  your  old 
room  to  the  captain,  his  wife  and  child,  and 
other  accommodation  to  the  rest.  I  then 
hurried  away  to  a  mandarin  and  asked  him 
to  send  men  to  protect  the  ship." 

"When  Kai  Bok-su  read  the  story  and  re- 
membered that,  twenty-five  years  earlier,  the 
crew  of  that  vessel  would  have  been  mur- 
dered and  their  ship  plundered,  he  ex- 
claimed with  joy,  *^  Blessed  Christianity  I 
Surely, 

Blessings  abound  where'er  He  reigns!" 


> 

^^  ■  %.    ■       mm 

1  ' 

— '■""  \ 

[ 

2» 

'^Jill 

1|' 

THE    LAND    OCCUPIED  289 

A  Hoa  had  another  tale  to  tell.  One  after- 
noon he  had  a  strange  congregation  in  that 
little  chapel.  There  were  one  hundred  and 
forty-six  native  converts  and  twenty-one 
Europeans.  These  were  made  up  of  seven 
nationalities,  British,  American,  French, 
Danish,  Turkish,  Swiss,  and  Norwegian. 
Their  ship  was  from  America  and  was 
bound  for  Hongkong  with  coal-oil. 

They  were  amazed  at  seeing  a  pretty,  neat 
chapel  away  in  this  wild,  remote  place,  which 
they  had  always  supposed  was  overrun  by 
head-hunters,  and  indeed  it  was  just  that 
little  chapel  that  had  made  the  great  change. 
These  men  now  entered  it  and  joined  the  na- 
tives in  worshiping  the  true  God,  where,  only 
a  few  years  before,  their  blood  would  have 
stained  the  sands. 

A  Hoa  told  them  something  of  the  great 
Kai  Bok-su  and  the  struggles  he  had  had 
with  savages  and  other  enemies,  when  he 
first  came  to  this  region.  The  visitors  were 
very  much  interested  and  did  not  wonder 
that  the  name  ^*Kai  Bok-su"  was  held  in 
such  reverence.   [When  they  left,  the  captain 


290      BLACK   BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

presented  the  little  chapel  with  a  bell,  a 
lamp,  and  a  mirror  which  were  on  board  his 
ship. 

The  long  months  of  separation  were  roll- 
ing around,  when  something  happened  that 
brought  Kai  Bok-su  back  to  his  island  in 
great  haste.  Once  more  war  swept  over  For- 
mosa. This  time  the  trouble  was  between 
China  and  Japaru  The  big  Empire  proved 
no  match  for  the  clever  Japanese,  and  every- 
where China  was  forced  to  give  in. 

One  of  the  places  which  Japan  set  her  af- 
fections on  was  Formosa.  She  must  have 
the  Beautiful  Isle  and  have  it  at  once. 
China  was  in  no  position  to  say  no,  so  the 
Chinese  envoy  went  on  board  a  Japanese 
vessel  and  sailed  toward  Formosa.  When 
in  sight  of  its  lovely  mountains,  without  any 
ceremony  he  pointed  to  the  land  and  said, 
*^ There  it  is,  take  it."  And  that  was  how 
Formosa  became  a  province  of  Japan.  At 
noon  on  May  26,  1895,  the  dragon  flag  of 
China  was  hauled  down  from  Formosan 
forts  and  the  banner  of  Japan  was  hoisted. 

Of  course  this  was  not  done  without  a 


THE    LAND    OCCUPIED  291 

struggle.  The  Formosans  themselves  fought 
hard,  and  in  the  fight  the  Christians  came  in 
for  times  of  trouble.  So  Kai  Bok-su,  hear^ 
ing  that  his  ** valuables"  were  again  in  dan- 
ger, set  sail  for  Tamsui. 

When  he  arrived  the  war  was  practically 
over,  but  everywhere  were  signs  of  strife. 
As  soon  as  he  was  able,  he  took  A  Hoa  and 
Koa  Kau  and  visited  the  chapels  all  over  the 
country.  Everywhere  were  sights  to  make 
his  heart  very  sad.  The  Japanese  soldiers 
had  used  many  of  the  chapels  for  military 
stables,  and  they  were  in  a  filthy  state.  At 
one  place  the  native  preacher  was  a  pris- 
oner, the  Japanese  believing  him  to  be  a  spy. 
At  another  village  the  Christians  sadly  led 
their  missionary  out  to  a  tea  plantation  and 
showed  him  the  place  where  their  beloved 
pastor  had  been  shot  by  the  Japanese  sol- 
diers. Mackay  stood  beside  his  grave,  his 
heart  heavy  with  sorrow. 

But  his  courage  never  left  him.  The  na- 
tive Christians  everywhere  forgot  their  woes 
in  the  great  joy  of  seeing  him  once  more; 
and  he  joined  them  in  a  brave  attempt  to  put 


29^      BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

things  to  rights  once  more.  The  Japanese 
paid  for  all  damages  done  by  their  soldiers 
and  in  a  short  time  the  work  was  going  on 
splendidly. 

*^We  have  no  fear,"  wrote  Dr.  Mackay. 
''The  King  of  kings  is  greater  than  Em- 
peror or  Mikado.  He  will  rule  and  overrule 
all  things." 

His  faith  was  rewarded,  for  when  the 
troublous  time  was  over,  the  government  of 
Japan  proved  better  than  that  of  China,  and 
on  the  whole  the  trial  proved  a  blessing. 

Oxford  College  had  been  closed  while  Dr. 
Mackay  was  away,  and  the  girls'  school  had 
not  been  opened  since  the  war  commenced, 
for  it  was  not  safe  for  the  girls  and  women 
to  leave  their  homes  during  such  disturbed 
times.  But  now  both  schools  reopened,  and 
again  Kai  Bok-su  with  his  cane  and  his  book 
and  his  crowd  of  students  could  be  seen  go- 
ing up  to  the  lecture  halls,  or  away  out  on 
the  Formosan  roads. 

He  had  conquered  so  often,  overcome  such 
tremendous  obstacles,  and  faced  unflinch- 
ingly so  many  awful  dangers  for  the  sake 


THE    LAND    OCCUPIED  298 

of  his  converts,  that  it  was  no  wonder  that 
they  adored  him,  their  feeling  amounting  al- 
most to  worship.  ^^Kai  Bok-su  says  it  must 
be  so"  was  sufficient  to  compel  any  one  in 
the  north  Formosa  Church  to  do  what  was 
required.  Surely  never  before  was  a  man 
so  wonderfully  rewarded  in  this  life.  He 
had  given  up  all  he  possessed  for  the  glory 
of  his  Master  and  he  had  his  full  compensa- 
tion. 

A  few  happy  years  sped  round.  The  time 
for  him  to  go  back  home  again  was  drawing 
near  when  there  came  the  first  hint  that  he 
might  soon  be  called  on  a  longer  furlough 
than  he  would  have  in  Canada. 

At  first,  when  the  dread  suspicion  began  to 
be  whispered  in  the  halls  of  Oxford  College 
and  in  the  chapel  gatherings  throughout  the 
country,  people  refused  to  believe  it.  Kai 
Bok-su  ill?  No,  no,  it  was  only  the  malaria, 
and  he  always  arose  from  that  and  went 
about  again.   It  could  not  be  serious. 

But  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  loving  hearts 
refused  to  accept  it,*  there  was  no  use  deny- 
ing the  sad  fact.     There  was  something 


^94      BLACK  BEARDED   BARBARIAN 

wrong  with  Kai  Bok-su.  For  months  his 
voice  had  been  growing  weaker,  the  doctors 
had  examined  his  throat,  and  attended  him, 
but  it  was  all  of  no  use.  At  last  he  could  not 
speak  at  all,  but  wrote  his  words  on  a  slate. 

And  everywhere  in  north  Formosa,  con- 
verts and  students  and  preachers  watched 
and  waited  and  prayed  most  fervently  that 
he  might  soon  recover.  Those  who  lived  in 
Tamsui  whispered  to  each  other  in  tones  of 
dread,  as  they  watched  him  come  and  go 
with  slower  steps  than  they  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  see. 

**He  will  be  well  next  month,"  they  would 
say  hopefully,  or,  *^He  will  look  like  himself 
when  the  rains  dry."  But  little  by  little  the 
conviction  grew  that  the  beloved  missionary 
was  seriously  ill,  and  a  great  gloom  settled 
all  over  north  Formosa.  There  was  a  little 
gleam  of  joy  when  the  doctor  in  Tamsui 
advised  him  finally  to  go  to  Hongkong  and 
see  a  specialist  He  went,  leaving  many  lov- 
ing hearts  waiting  anxiously  between  hope 
and  fear  to  hear  what  the  doctors  would  say. 
And  prayers  went  up  night  and  day  from 


THE    LAND    OCCUPIED  295 

those  who  loved  him.  From  the  heart-broken 
wife  in  the  lonely  house  on  the  bluff  to  the 
farthest-off  convert  on  the  Ki-lai  plain^ 
every  Christian  on  the  island,  even  those  in 
the  south  Formosa  mission,  prayed  that  the 
useful  life  might  be  spared. 

But  God  had  other  and  greater  plans  for 
Kai  Bok-su.  He  came  back  from  Hong- 
kong, and  the  first  look  at  his  pale  face  told 
the  dreaded  truth.  The  shadow  of  death  lay 
on  it. 

Those  were  heart-breaking  days  in  north 
Formosa.  From  all  sides  came  such  mes- 
sages of  devotion  that  it  seemed  as  if  the 
passionate  love  of  his  followers  must  hold 
him  back.  But  a  stronger  love  was  calling 
him  on.  And  one  bright  June  day,  in  1901^ 
when  the  green  mountainsides,  the  blue  riv- 
ers, and  the  waving  rice-fields  of  Formosa 
lay  smiling  in  the  sun,  Kai  Bok-su  heard 
once  more  that  call  that  had  brought  him  so 
far  from  home.  Once  more  he  obeyed,  and 
he  opened  his  eyes  on  a  new  glory  greater 
than  any  of  which  he  had  ever  dreamed. 
The  task  had  been  a  hard  one.    The  **big 


^96   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

-stone"  had  been  stubborn,  but  it  had  been 
broken,  and  not  long  after  the  noontide  of 
Ms  life  the  tired  worker  was  called  home. 

They  laid  his  poor,  worn  body  up  on  the 
hill  above  the  river,  beside  the  bodies  of  the 
Christians  he  had  loved  so  well.  And  the 
soft  Formosan  grass  grew  over  his  grave, 
the  winds  roared  about  it,  and  the  river  and 
the  sea  sang  his  requiem. 

Oallant  Kai  Bok-su !  As  he  rests  up  there 
on  his  wind-swept  height,  there  are  hearts 
in  the  valleys  and  on  the  plains  of  his  be- 
loved Formosa  and  in  his  far-off  native  land 
that  are  aching  for  him.  And  sometimes  to 
these  last  comes  the  question  **  Was  it  well?" 
Was  it  well  that  he  should  wear  out  that 
splendid  life  in  such  desperate  toil  among 
heathen  that  hated  and  reviled  him?  And 
from  every  part  of  north  Formosa,  sound- 
ing on  the  wind,  comes  many  an  answer. 

Up  from  the  damp  rice-fields,  where  the 
farmer  goes  to  and  fro  in  the  gray  dawn, 
arises  a  song: 

I'm  not  ashamed  to  own  my  Lord, 
Or  to  defend  his  cause. 


THE    LAND    OCCUPIED  297 

Far  away  on  the  mountainside,  the  once  sav- 
age mother  draws  her  little  one  to  her  and 
teaches  him,  not  the  old  lesson  of  bloodshed, 
but  the  older  one  of  love  and  kindness,  and 
together  they  croon: 

Jesus  loves  me,  this  I  know, 
For  the  Bible  tells  me  so. 

And  up  from  scores  of  chapels  dotting  the 
land,  comes  the  sound  of  the  old,  old  story 
of  Jesus  and  his  love,  preached  by  native 
Formosans,  and  from  the  thousand  tongues 
of  their  congregations  soars  upward  the 
Psalm: 

All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell. 
Sing  to  the  Lord  with  cheerful  voice ! 

These  all  unite  in  one  great  harmony,  re- 
plying, *  *  It  is  well ! ' ' 

But  is  it  well  with  the  work?  What  of 
his  Beautiful  Island,  now  that  Kai  Bok-su 
has  left  for  a  greater  work  in  a  more  beauti* 
f  ul  land  ?  Yes,  it  is  well  also  with  Formosa. 
The  work  goes  on. 


298      BLACK   BEARDED    BARBARIAN 

There  are  two  thousand,  one  hundred 
members  now  in  the  four  organized  congre- 
gations, and  over  fifty  mission  stations  and 
outstations.  But  better  still  there  are  in  ad- 
dition twenty-two  hundred  who  have  for- 
saken their  idols  and  are  being  trained 
to  become  church-members.  The  Formosa 
Church  out  of  its  poverty  gives  liberally  too. 
In  1911  they  contributed  more  than  thirty- 
five  hundred  dollars  to  Christian  work. 
** Every  year,"  writes  Mr.  Jack,  "a  special 
collection  is  taken  by  the  Church  for  the 
work  among  the  Ami — the  aborigines  of  the 
Ki-lai  plain."  This  is  the  foreign  mission  of 
the  north  Formosa  Church. 

A  Hoa  lately  followed  his  pastor  to  the 
home  above,  but  many  others  remain.  Mr. 
Gauld  and  his  family  are  still  there,  in  the 
front  of  the  battle,  and  with  him  is  a  fine 
corps  of  soldiers,  comprising  fifty-nine  na- 
tive and  several  Canadian  missionaries,  in- 
cluding the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  Y.  Ferguson  and  his 
wife,  the  Eev.  Milton  Jack  and  Mrs.  Jack, 
the  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Duncan  MacLeod,  Miss 
J.  M.  Kinney,  Miss  Hannah  Council,  Miss 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Mackay 


WITH  HIS  CANADIAN  WIFE,  HAS  GONE  BACK  TO  HIS  NATIVE  LAND' 


THE    LAND    OCCUPIED  299 

Mabel  G.  Clazie,  and  Miss  Lily  Adair.  Miss 
Isabelle  J.  Elliott,  a  graduate  nurse,  and 
deaconess,  will  join  the  staff  shortly,  and  a 
few  others  will  be  sent  when  secured,  in  or- 
der that  the  force  may  be  sufficient  to  evan- 
gelize the  million  people  in  north  Formosa. 

Mrs.  Mackay  and  her  two  daughters, 
Helen  and  Mary,  the  latter  having  married 
native  preachers,  Koa  Kau  and  Tan  He, 
are  keeping  up  the  work  that  husband  and 
father  left.  A  new  hospital  is  being  built 
under  Dr.  Ferguson,  and  plans  are  on  foot 
for  new  school  and  college  buildings. 

And  the  latest  arrived  missionary  ?  What 
of  him  ?  Why  his  name  is  George  Mackay, 
and  he  has  just  sailed  from  Canada  as  the 
first  Mackay  sailed  forty-one  years  earlier. 
He  has  been  nine  years  in  Canada  and  the 
United  States,  at  school  and  college,  and 
now  with  his  Canadian  wife,  has  gone  back 
to  his  native  land.  Yes,  Kai  Bok-su's  son 
has  gone  out  to  carry  on  his  father's  work, 
and  Formosa  has  welcomed  him  as  no  other 
missionary  has  been  welcomed  since  Kai 
Bok-su's  day. 


800   BLACK  BEARDED  BARBARIAN 

But  these  are  not  all.  From  far  across 
the  sea,  in  the  land  where  Kai  Bok-su  lived 
his  boyhood  days,  comes  a  voice.  It  is  the 
echo  from  the  hearts  of  other  boys,  who  have 
read  his  noble  life.  And  their  answer  is, 
^/We  too  will  go  out,  as  he  went,  and  fight 
and  win!" 


INDEX 


A. 

Adair,  Miss  Lily,  299 
A    Hoa,    Giam    Cheng    Hoa, 
74,  83; 
first  convert,   79,  80; 
helper   of   Mackay,   84,    85, 
89,  99,  111,  113,  117,  145, 
146,    161,    162,    169,    178, 
241,  247,  248,  291; 
his  first  public  address,  96- 

98; 
marked    courage,    94,    163, 

167; 
member  of  church,  116; 
pastor  of  first  church,  154, 

155; 
spirit    of    good    cheer,    91, 

116,  178; 
welcome    letters     to     Mac- 
kay, 287-289; 
work  completed,  298 
America,  the,  15,   19,  21,   22, 

218 
Ancestral  worship,  71,  106 
Annan,  Ontario,  Canada,  ix 

B. 

Baby   George's   question,   285 
Bang-kah,  150,  162; 

church  in,  174; 

riot  and  rescue,  171 


Bax,  Captain,   125,   126,   128^ 

140,  143,  145 
Bear,  pet,  285 
Beautiful  Formosa,  41,  49 
Beauty  in  tropic   forests,  49^ 

50,  128-130,  182 
Betel-nuts  and  tree,  50,  111 
Bible,  69,  172; 

inscription      in     Mackay 's,. 

18,  19; 
use     of,     among     students,, 

84,  207 
'*  Bird-listening,''   137 
*  *  Black-bearded     barbarian, ' ' 

3,    32,    68,    91,    see    also- 

Mackay,  George  Leslie 
* '  Black-face, ' '       native       of 

Kap-tsu-lan     plain,     186,. 

187 
Bright  prospects,  223; 

sudden  change,  228 
Britain's  banner,  22,  236 
British  consulate  and  consul's" 

services,  30,  61,  151,  208,. 

215 
Building  the  church  in  Kap- 
tsu-lan,  190; 
near-by   village   work,    192^ 

195 
Busy  Mackay,  222,  257 


301 


802 


INDEX 


Call  of  Mackay,  7,  11,  17; 

his  response,  27 
Campbell,  Dr.,  209,  210 
Canada,     boyhood     home     of 
Mackay,  8; 
his  first  return  visit  to,  218- 

220; 
his  second   return  visit  to, 

286; 
reenforcements  and  support 
from,  211,  212,  215,  222, 
223,  286 
Canton,  23 
Castor  oil  plant,  50 
Changed      from      temple     to 

chapel,  274 
Chapels  destroyed,  232; 

rebuilt,  250 
Chhi-hoan,  the,   124,  see   also 

Head-hunters 
China,  Mackay  bound  for,  17; 
transfer     of     Formosa     to 

Japan,   290; 
wars  with   France  and   Ja- 
pan, 227-249,   290 
Chinese,  boys  at  play,  64; 
court-house  and  lack  of  jus- 
tice,  70,    117-119; 
filthy  inns,  44-48; 
language      difficulties,      59, 

62-64; 
literati,  69-79; 
religions,  70-72,  76-79 
*' Chinese  only,*'  210 
Christ,  see  Jesus  Christ 
Christian  wedding,  first,  120 
Christmas  in  Formosa,  115 
<' Church    bell,"   the    first   in 
east  Formosa,  188-191 


Churches,  built  in  north  For- 
mosa,    149-152,     158-161, 
174,  190,  195; 
destroyed,   232,  233; 
rebuilt,  250-253 

Clazie,  Miss  Mabel  G.,  299 

Cobra,  narrow  escape  from  a, 
127 

Confucianism,  71 

Connell,  Miss  Hannah,  298 

Converts  received,  116; 
tested,  248 

Cook  from  Oxford  College  as 
missionary,    261; 
told  of  Mackay,  267,  269 

Coolie,  Mackay 's  first  Chinese 
teacher,  62,  64,  67 

Coolies,  22,  38 

Cows  not  milked,  68 

Cures  effected,  86,  87 

D. 

Dentistry,  Mackay 's,  112,  113 
Diary  entry  in  Tamsui,  62 
Dickson,  Dr.,  27,    38,  39,  45, 

50,  55 
Dispensary  in  Tamsui,  214 
Dodd,  Mr.,  32,  242 
Dutch  fort   on  the  bluff,   30, 

59,  151,  208,  215 
Dwarf,  The,  125 


Edinburgh,  17 

Eitel,  E.  J.,  22,  23 

Elliott,  Miss  Isabelle  J.,  299 

English       Presbyterians       in 

south  Formosa,  209 
English   sailors    transgress  in 

Tamsui,  109 


INDEX 


Pamilies  leave  Formosa  for 
Hongkong,  245 ;  return, 
249 

Ferguson,  ReiV.  Dr.  J.  Y., 
298,  299 

Pifth  commandment,  effect 
of,  107 

Forceps  and  Bible,  112 

Foreign  Mission  Committee 
of  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Canada  present  Bible 
to  Mackay,  18 

First  church  in  north  For- 
mosa, 152 

First  convert  won  by  Mac- 
kay, 79,  83 

Food  in  Formosa,  38,  67,  68, 
206 

Formosa,    24-26;    Channel    or 
Strait,  24,  221,  227; 
forests,  49,  50,  130; 
Mackay  decides  for,  27,  29 

Formosan  martyrs,  234 

France,  war  with  China,  229- 
249 

Praser,  J.  B.,  M.D.,  ix,  212, 
215,  243 

Prater,  A.,  61,  247 

Friends  in  need,  53 

From  far  Formosa,  x 

Fujiyama,  20 

Fukien,  the,  245 


Gauld,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William, 

286,  298 
Geh-bai  chapel,  159 
General  Assembly,  17,  287 
Geography  lessons,  84,   85 
German     scientist      and     Dr. 

Mackay,  258,  259 


Giam  Cheng  Hoa,  74,  76,  79, 

.    83,  see  also  A  Hoa 
Gifts  to  Formosa,  219 
Girls  ^  school,  223,  292 
"G.  L.,"  6-12,  15,  19 
God,  80,  96,  97,  130,  160,  173, 
187,    191,    192,   267,   270, 
289,    295; 
as  Father,  72,  94,  106,  107, 

144,  271,  275; 
as  full  of  love,  70,  189,  190, 

194; 
glory    of    his    works,    130, 
207,  264 
Go-ko-khi,  99,   100,   117,   120, 
149; 
chapel  in,  150 
Golden  Gate,  the,  15 

H. 

Eailoong,  the,  242 

Head-hunters,  51,  52,  183 

Heathen    hopes    not    realized, 
249 

Help   from  Canada,   211,   see 
also  Canada 

High  degree  scholar,  a,  78 

Ho  Be,  30 

Hobson,  Mr.,  24 

Hoe-lien-kang,    270 

Hongkong,  15,  22,  23; 

Mackay 's  trips  to,  245,  246, 
294,  295 

Horses   little   known  in   For- 
mosa, 40,  43 

Hut   and  servant  in   Tamsui, 
60; 
furniture,  61 


Ice  in  Tamsui,  243 
Idol  burning,  191,  274 


804! 


INDEX 


''niha  Formosa/'  25,  28,  29 
Illness,    Mackay's    last,    294, 

296 
Incidents  in  the  new  church 

in  Go-ko-khi,  153 
Invitation  to  join  in  a  head 

hunt,  138 


Jack,  Eev.  Milton  and  Mrs., 

298 
Jamieson,  Rev.  Mr.  and  Mrs., 

223,  238,   283 
Japan  and  Formosa,  290 
Japanese  boatmen,  20 
Jesus  Christ,   10,   70,   77,   91, 

124,    152,    156,   191,   204, 

276; 
call  of  Mackay  and  his  de- 
votion to  his  Leader,  11, 

17,  62; 
martyrs  for,  233,  234; 
story  of.  114,  144,  189,  217, 

272 
Johansen,  Dr.,  240,  242 
Joy  in  Ki-lai  plain,  272,  273 
Junor,  Kenneth,  215,  218,  220, 

222 
"Justice,''  70 


Kai  Bok-su,  83,  see  MacTcay, 

George  Leslie 
Ka-le-oan,    preaching    in,    by 
college  cook,  268; 
Mackay 's  reception  in,  269 
Kap-tsu-lan  plain,  early  jour- 
ney to,  177-183; 
first  church  in,   187-190; 
later    results     in,     191-199, 
257-261,  287-289 
Kelung,  89,  94,  160,  205 


Ki-lai  plain,  261; 

Christian  movement  in.  266- 
277 
Kind      hearts     revealed     by 

Christianity,.  54 
Kinney,  Miss  J.  M.,  298 
Koa  Kau,  232,  286,  291; 
helps     destroy     a     serpent, 

205; 
marries  Helen  Mackay,  299 
Koxinga,  Chinese  pirate,  52 

L. 

Ladies  in  the  work,  223 
Literati  scorn  Mackay,  69; 
tables  turned  on  them,  77 
Lu-a,  the  donkey,  178 

M. 

Mackay,  George  Leslie,  bo3^ 
hood,  3-12; 

call,  11,  17; 

careful  preparation,  16,  17; 

chosen  as  a  foreign  mission- 
ary, 17; 

course  to  his  field,  15-17; 

determination  and  enthus- 
iasm, 6,  9,  51,  55,  62, 
63,  156-169,  208,  209, 
217-219,  222,  283; 

entrance  on  his  work,  31- 
62; 

learning  Chinese  language, 
62-72,   84-86; 

learning  of  the  religions, 
71,  72,  76; 

meets  A  Hoa  and  wins  him 
as  first  convert,  74-80; 

overcomes  the  literati,  75, 
79,  103-105; 

preaching  tours,  86-100, 
106,  107,  llli 


INDEX 


305 


seeks    to    reach    the    head- 
hunters,  123-144; 
succeeds  in  winning   Bang- 

kah,   162-174; 
trips  to   Kap-tsu-lan  plain, 

177-199,  258-261; 
trip    to    Ki-lai    plain,    261- 

279; 
unites  with  Tui  Chhang  Mai 

in  marriage,  215; 
'* valuables, '^   237,  238; 
visits  to  homeland,  217-219, 

286-291; 
war's     dangers    met,     229- 

249; 
weakened   by   toil,   survives 

brain  fever,   240-244; 
welcomed    by    his    children, 

284,   285; 
work  crowned  with  victory, 
295-300 
Mackay,  George,  missionary's 

son,  enlists,  299 
Mackay,  Helen,  299 
Mackay   Hospital   in  Tamsui, 

220,  240 
Mackay,  Mary,  299 
Mackay,  Mr.  Alexander,  ix 
Mackay,  Mrs.  George,  299 
Mackay,  Mrs.  G.  L.,  215,  299 
Mackay,  Mrs.,  of  Detroit,  do- 
nor of  money  for  Mackay 
Hospital,    in    memory    of 
her  husband,  219,  220 
Mackay,  Rev.  R.  P.,  D.  D.,  ix 
MacLaren,  William,  18 
MacLeod,    Rev.    Duncan    and 

Mrs.,  298 
Malaria,  52,  54,  114,  146 
Malayans  and  Chinese,  52,  53, 

188 
Mandarin's  injustice,  70,  118, 
119; 


another's    course    in   Bang- 

kah,   170-172; 
another's  cordial   action  in 
the  Ki-lai  plain,  266-270 
Martyrs  at  Sin-tiam,  234 
Medical  advice  to  the  heathen^ 
86; 
native  doctors,  213 
Memory,  Mackay 's,  105 
Missionary   doctor 's   welcome, 

213 
Mission  pets,  285 
Monkeys  as  playthings,  285 

N. 

Native  doctors  and  remedies, 

213 
New  worlds  to  conquer,  283 

O. 

Offers  of  work  to  Mackay,  24- 

**01d   Hundred,"    275 

Orchids  in  Formosa  forests, 
129,   258 

Ottawa,  Canada,  18 

Oxford  College,  Tamsui,  220, 
236,  239,  261,  292,  293 

Oxford  County,  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, 26,  219 

Oysters,  206 

P. 

Pacific  Ocean,  19,  262,  278 
Palm  Island,  230 
Pastor  Giam,  see  A  Hoa 
Payment   for    war's    damage, 

250 
Pe-po-hoan,  the,  53,  54,  177 
Pigs  in  Formosan  life,  45-48, 

107-110,  154,  206 
Pony-riding  in  Formosa,  268, 

270,  276 


S06 


INDEX 


Portuguese  sailors'  name  for 
island,  25 

Poverty,  extreme,  69 

Praise  for  deliverance,  251; 
heathen  comments,  252 

Prayer,  73,  80,  166,  170,  206, 
279 

Praying  for  a  convert,  73; 
prayer  answered,  75 

Preaching  in  Chinese,  69 

Presbyterian  Church  of   Can- 
ada, 17; 
Mackay    first    foreign    mis- 

sionary  of,  17,   18,  23; 
made  Moderator  of  General 
Assembly  of,  287,  see  also 
Canada,      reenforcements 
and  support  from 

Presbyterian  Church  of  Eng- 
land Mission  in  south 
Formosa,  23,  26,  54 

Princeton  University,  17,  23 

Q. 

Quan  Yin  mountain,  29 
^'Queen's  Hotel, 'M7,  48 
Queen's  University,  219 
Quotation     customs,     Chinese, 
104 

E. 

Eain,  tropic,  115,  145 
Eattan,  50 

Eeverence  for  a  teacher,  92 
Eice-fields,  Formosan,  28,  41, 

49,  90 
Eitchie,   Mr.,  26,   27,   28,   32, 

51,  55,  210 
Eobbers,  92 

S. 

Sa-kak-eng,  160,  161 
Sampan,  a,  23 


San  Francisco,  15 
Scott,  Mr.,  171 

Second  church  of  north  For- 
mosa, 158 
Second  convert,  86 
Sek-khau,  90 

Serpent  dangers,  88,  127,  205 
Sin-tiam,  156; 

church   destroyed,   233,   287 
So  Bay,  in  a  boat  on,  262; 
its     phosphorescent     lights, 

264 
'* South  Wind  Harbor,"  195 
Stone-breaking  in  Canada,  4- 

6,  10,   11; 
in  Formosa,  59,  219 
Story    told    the   head-hunters, 

144 
Street  preaching,  96,  106,  113 
Students,    Mackay    •with    his, 

203 
Sun-a,   178,  287 
Sunday  in  Tamsui,  Mackay 's 

first,  32 
Supposed     demon    possession,. 

Mackay 's,  85 
Swatow,  23,  24 


Table  Hill,  48 

Tact,  Mackay 's,  106 

Takow,  26 

Tamsui,  27,  29,  30,  31,  59,  60, 

87,  249 
Tan    He,    158,    287;    marriea 

Mary  Mackay,   299 
Tan  Paugh,  mayor  of  Go-ko- 

khi,  100,  149,  150 
Taoism,  72 
Tea  and  tea  plantations,  51, 

108 
Teacher,  reverence  for  a,  92 


INDEX 


307 


Tek-chham,  48; 

chapel,  159; 

soldier  guard,  111 
Ten   commandments,   the,    72, 

150 
Test   of   Mackay   by   Chinese 
literati,  76; 

counter-tests    by    him,    78, 
104,  105 
Thah-so,  99,  149,  155 
Thompson,  Dr.,  24 
Three    missionaries    in    For- 
mosa, 38 
Toa-liong-pong,     disaster     at, 
232; 

inscription,  233; 

martyrs,  234 
Tobacco,  51 
Tiong-lek,  44,  48; 

hotel  in,  44-47 
Tongking,  227 

Toothache  turned  to  mission- 
ary account,  111-113 
Toronto,  17 
Toronto  Globe,  x 
Touring,  89; 

with  students,  259-261 
Travel  in  Formosa,  37 
Tropical  weather,  89,  93 
Tropic  sights,  182,  264 
Tsui-tng-kha,    260 
Tui  Chhang  Mai,  215 


Tumult  of  enthusiasm,  a,  272 
Turtles,  196; 
Imitation    of    their    tracks, 
196 

V. 

Visit  to  the  head-hunters,  125, 
142; 
visit  returned,  143 
Visitor  and  card,  a,  74,  76,  77 

W. 

Warburg,  Dr.,  258 

War,    with   France,    227-236; 

with  Japan,  290-292 
War's  damages,  250 
'*Was  it  well?"  296 
Water-buffaloes,  40,  64-67; 

meat  for  food,  41,  67 
"Whirlwind  Mackay,"  209 
Women's  Foreign  Missionary 

Society  of  Canada,  223 
Women     workers     needed     to 

reach    women,    216,    217, 

223,  298,  299 


Y. 


Yokohama,  20 

Z. 

Zorra,  Ontario,  Canada,  ix,  62 


Forward  Mission  Study  Courses 


"  Anywhere,  provided  it  be  forward." — David  Livingstone, 


Prepared  under  the  direction  of  the 
MISSIONARY  EDUCATION  MOVEMENT 

OF  THE  UNITED   STATES  AND  CANADA 


Editorial  Committee:  T.  H.  P.  Sailer,  Chairman;  A.  E. 
Armstrong,  T.  B.  Ray,  C.  L.  White,  J.  E.  McAfee,  A.  R. 
Gray,  G.  F.  Sutherland,  H.  P.  Douglass,  W.  E.  Doughty, 
W.  W.  Cleland,  J.  H.  Poorman. 


The  Forward  Mission  Study  Courses  are  an  outgrowth  of  a 
conference  of  leaders  in  young  people's  mission  work,  held  in 
New  York  City,  December,  1901.  To  meet  the  need  that  was 
manifested  at  that  conference  for  mission  study  text-books  suit- 
able for  young  people,  two  of  the  delegates,  Professor  Amos 
R.  Wells,  of  the  United  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  and 
Mr.  S.  Earl  Taylor,  Chairman  of  the  General  Missionary  Com- 
mittee of  the  Ep worth  League,  projected  the  Forward  Mission 
Study  Courses.  These  courses  have  been  oflScially  adopted  by 
the  Missionary  Education  Movement,  and  are  now  under  the 
immediate  direction  of  the  Editorial  Committee  of  the  Move- 
ment. The  books  of  the  Movement  are  now  being  used  by 
more  than  forty  home  and  foreign  mission  boards  and  socie- 
ties of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

The  aim  is  to  publish  a  series  of  text-books  covering  the 
various  home  and  foreign  mission  fields  and  problems  and 
written  by  leading  authorities. 

The  following  text-books  having  a  sale  of  over  1,200,000 
have  been  published: 


I.  The  Price  op  Africa.  (Biographical.)  By  S.  Earl 
Taylor. 

3.  Into  All  the  World.  A  general  survey  of  missions. 
By  Amos  R.  Wells. 

3.  Princely  Men  in  the  Heavenly  Kingdom.  (Bio- 
graphical.)   By  Harlan  P.  Beach. 

4.  Sunrise  in  the  Sunrise  Kingdom.  Revised  Edition. 
A  study  of  Japan.    By  John  H.  DeForest. 

5.  Heroes  of  the  Cross  In  America.  Home  Missions. 
(Biographical.)    By  Don  O.  Sheltou. 

6.  Daybreak  in  the  Dark  Continent.  Revised  Edition. 
A  study  of  Africa.    By  Wilson  S.  Nay  lor. 

7.  The  Christian  Conquest  op  India.  A  study  of 
India.    By  James  M.  Thoburn. 

8.  Aliens  or  Americans?  A  study  of  Immigration. 
By  Howard  B.  Grose. 

9.  The  Uplift  of  China.  Revised  Edition.  A  study  of 
China.     By  Arthur  H.  Smith. 

10.  The  Challenge  of  the  City.  A  study  of  the  City. 
By  Josiah  Strong. 

II.  The  Why  and  How  of  Foreign  Missions.  A  study 
of  the  relation  of  the  home  Church  to  the  foreign  missionary 
enterprise.     By  Arthur  J.  Brown. 

12.  The  Moslem  World.  A  study  of  the  Mohammedan 
World.    By  Samuel  M.  Zwemer. 

13.  The  Frontier.  A  study  of  the  New  West.  By  Ward 
Piatt. 

14.  South  America:  Its  Missionary  Problems.  A  study 
of  South  America.    By  Thomas  B.  Neely. 

15.  Tne  Upward  Path:  The  Evolution  of  a  Race.  A 
study  of  the  Negro.     By  Mary  Helm. 

16.  Korea  in  Transition.  A  study  of  Korea.  By  James 
S.  Gale. 

17.  Advance  in  the  Antilles.  A  study  of  Cuba  and 
Porto  Rico.    By  Howard  B.  Grose. 

18.  The  Decisive  Hour  of  Christian  Missions.  A 
study  of  conditions  throughout  the  non-Christian  world.  By 
John  R.  Mott. 

19.  India  Awakening.  A  study  of  present  conditions  in 
India.    By  Sherwood  Eddy. 

20.  The  Church  of  the  Open  Country.  A  study  of 
the  problem  of  the  Rural  Church.    By  Warren  H.  Wilson. 

21.  The  Emergency  in  China.  A  study  of  present-day 
conditions  in  China.    By  F.  L.  Hawks  Pott. 

22.  Mexico  To-Day:  Social,  Political,  and  Religious  Con- 
ditions. A  study  of  present-day  conditions  in  Mexico.  By 
George  B.  Winton. 

23.  Immigrant  Forces.  A  study  of  the  immigrant  in 
his  home  and  American  environment.  By  William  P. 
Shriver. 


In  addition  to  these  courses,  the  following  have  been  pub- 
lished especially  for  use  among  younger  persons: 

1.  Uganda's  White  Man  of  Work.  The  story  of  Alex- 
ander Mackay  of  Africa.     By  Sophia  Lyon  Fahs. 

2.  Servants  of  the  King.  A  series  of  eleven  sketches  of 
famous  home  and  foreign  missionaries.     By  Robert  E.  Speer. 

3.  Under  Marching  Orders.  The  story  of  Mary  Porter 
Gamewell  of  China.     By  Ethel  Daniels  Hubbard. 

4.  Winning  the  Oregon  Country.  The  story  of  Marcus 
Whitman  and  Jason  Lee  in  the  Oregon  country.  By  John  T. 
Faris. 

5.  The  Black  Bearded  Barbarian.  The  story  of  George 
Leslie  Mackay  of  Formosa.     By  Marian  Keith. 

6.  Ann  op  Ava.  The  story  of  Ann  Hasseltine  Judson. 
By  Ethel  Daniels  Hubbard. 

These  books  are  published  by  mutual  arrangement  among 
the  home  and  foreign  mission  boards,  to  whom  all  orders 
should  be  addressed.  They  are  bound  uniformly  and  are  sold 
at  50  cents  in  cloth,  and  '65  cents  in  paper;  postage,  8  cents 
extra. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETUKN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


K       5Dec6j;^ 


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